A CYCLIST accused of being too drunk to ride his bicycle safely has been sentenced to 90 hours of community service for refusing to give the States police a breath sample.
Abdul Mohammed Rahman (49) was spotted in Broad Street at around 11pm on 11 April, trying to ride his bike while drunk, the Magistrate’s Court was told.
Police officers approached him and Advocate Adam Harrison, prosecuting, said: “He became aggressive and argumentative. He smelt of intoxicant, his eyes were glazed, his speech was slurred and he was unsteady on his feet.”
The officers arrested him on suspicion of cycling while unfit, but at police headquarters he repeatedly refused requests to provide a breath sample.
Rahman pleaded guilty to the offence, with Advocate Harrison adding that the defendant had numerous previous motoring convictions, including driving a car while disqualified, drink-driving and failing to provide a breath specimen.
Advocate Heidi Heath, defending, said Rahman had been drinking after a long shift at work and pointed out: “This would normally be dealt with by police by words of advice.”
She accepted that Rahman had previous convictions but said: “In this case he was riding a pedal cycle through town. The roads were quiet and it was dry. The offence was not that serious.”
The Magistrate, Bridget Shaw, said a jail sentence was a possible outcome, telling Rahman: “Failing to provide a specimen is an offence of obstructing a police investigation. And you have a long history of traffic offences.”
She imposed a community service order but said: “In a car this would lead to an immediate custodial sentence.”
