A 51-YEAR-OLD man who was caught driving while almost three times over the legal alcohol limit was grieving for his mother at the time of the offence.
The Magistrate’s Court heard that John McFarlane had just lost his mother when he drove his Audi through different roads in Jersey on 7 July.
A breath test by the States police showed he had 91 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.
Advocate Sarah Dale, defending, pointed out that McFarlane’s mother had recently died and said: ‘His action on that day was out of character. He is a law-abiding man.’ Relief Magistrate David Le Cornu said driving at such a high level above the limit would normally lead to prison, but instead sentenced McFarlane to 110 hours of community service and banned him from driving for 30 months.
He will have to retake his driving test after the ban if he wants to drive again.
