A 50-YEAR-OLD man was caught driving his van while over the legal alcohol limit and using his mobile phone.
Marcelino Jardim was banned from the roads for 18 months and sentenced to 90 hours’ community service for driving while unfit, and fined £400 for using the phone.
The Magistrate’s Court heard that Jardim was seen using his mobile while driving his white Fiat van on Longueville Road on the morning of 15 April.
St Saviour Centenier Steven Laffoley-Edwards, prosecuting, said that when the police stopped him they also noticed he smelt of alcohol. He was breathalysed at police headquarters and was found to have 76 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal maximum is 35 micrograms.
Advocate Mark Boothman, defending, said that Jardim had attended a birthday party the previous night and did not realise he still had excess alcohol in his system.
He added: “He is deeply remorseful. He offers his sincere apologies to the court.”
Relief Magistrate Mike O’Connell ordered Jardim to retake the driving test after the ban has elapsed.
