Drink-driving leads to community service

Drink-driving leads to community service

Andrei Ionut, of Kensington Place, pleaded guilty before Relief Magistrate Sarah Fitz to drink-driving, failing to change the address on his driving licence and four charges related to the condition of the vehicle he was driving.

The court heard that Ionut was seen driving erratically on La Neuve Route in St Brelade at about 5am on 16 September.

He was stopped and failed a breathalyser test. Analysis later showed he had a reading of 87mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

The police also found a number of problems with the vehicle he was driving at the time, including that it was emitting an oily substance, the bodywork was in a dangerous condition, the lights were not in working order and a nearside mirror was also in a dangerous condition.

However, Advocate Sarah Dale, defending, told the court the vehicle in question did not belong to her client.

The advocate said Ionut had been drinking the night before and had not thought he would still be intoxicated the next morning.

She asked that the fines relating to the condition of the vehicle be halved, as the vehicle did not belong to him and he was not responsible for its condition.

Ionut deeply regretted the incident, she added, and apologised to the court.

On sentencing, the Relief Magistrate said she had taken into account Ionut’s early guilty pleas but felt that, given his high alcohol reading, a sentence of 120 hours of community service was appropriate.

She reduced the fines associated with the condition of the vehicle, however, given that it was not registered to Ionut.

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