Rodney Francis Cunningham (72), of Green Street, was sentenced for being behind the wheel while more than 2½ times over the legal limit and also for dangerous driving.
The court was told that Cunningham went into a shop at the bottom of Green Street to buy a bottle of whisky at about 10.30 am on 20 October.
Police legal adviser Simon Crowder said that when Cunningham was in the shop he engaged in conversation with two women, one of whom owned a vehicle which was parked outside.
The court heard that when Cunningham left the shop he got into his white Dacia. The prosecutor said that the woman inside the store heard a loud bang and when she looked outside she realised that Cunningham had hit her BMW, causing minor damage. When she heard the noise, she also saw that the defendant was reversing his car. She went outside and challenged him but Cunningham denied having struck the BMW.
The court heard that the woman wanted to call the police and stood in front of his car to stop him leaving. At one point she had her hands on the bonnet of the car.
However, Cunningham left a few moments later ‘at speed and did not check for pedestrians or vehicles’ as he turned into Green Street and headed towards his home.
‘Witnesses described the tyres screeching and the loud sound of the engine,’ said Mr Crowder.
He was arrested at home and taken to police headquarters. The level of alcohol on he breath was 90 mcg in 100 ml, when the legal limit is 35 mcg.
Advocate Chris Hillier, defending, said that his client was ‘deeply ashamed’ and accepted the consequences that flowed from his actions. He described Mr Cunningham as a man who was ‘deeply committed to his community and his family’ and said there seemed to be no explanation for events that ‘were so out of character.’
In sentencing, Relief Magistrate David Le Cornu said: ‘This is a very high level of alcohol involved but I regard you as a man of good character, so I can avoid a custodial sentence.’
