A 36-YEAR-OLD man who drove through St Helier while more than two and a half times over the alcohol limit has been banned from the roads for two years and sentenced to 100 hours of community service.
Police officers noticed Claudio Valerio Silva Vieira’s driving at 1.15am on 24 February and pulled him over in Hilary Street.
St Helier Centenier Paul Huelin told the Magistrate’s Court that when officers asked the defendant to wind down his window, “the smell of intoxicant was immediately evident”.
He was breathalysed at police headquarters and gave a reading of 89 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.
The court heard that Vieira had a previous conviction for affray, for which he had been sentenced to 120 hours of community service in 2017.
However, Advocate Heidi Heath, defending, said that a pre-sentence report had spoken highly of Vieira, calling him a hard worker and devoted father. She added: “He has good insight into the potential harm he could have caused.”
He was also deemed at low risk of reoffending.
Assistant Magistrate Adam Clarke told Vieira: “You may choose to drink when you are facing difficulties.
“The decision to drive afterwards is wholly unacceptable.”
Vieira must pass a driving test after the ban expires before he can get back behind the wheel.
