A BUILDER who drove at 70mph because he was worried he could be late for work has been fined £1,000.
But Relief Magistrate David Le Cornu decided not to ban Florin-Marian Dima from driving – because he has to drive to different building sites as part of his job.
Legal adviser Kate Green, defending, told the Magistrate’s Court that 44-year-old Dima was seen by police officers at 7am on 16 April this year, driving his grey Volkswagen van along the Esplanade and Victoria Avenue while clearly above the speed limit.
She said officers had to drive at 70mph just to keep up with Dima rather than get ahead of him.
When he was stopped he told them he was worried he might be late for work. He gave a breath sample but was found not to have been drinking.
Dima admitted the charge of careless driving, but Advocate Emma Hollywood, defending, argued it should be regarded as the lesser offence of speeding, since the roads were clear and no other road users had been involved.
She added: “His whole family depends on his job. He was worried he wasn’t going to get paid.”
And she pointed out: “He has never sped before. He has no record whatsoever.”
Mr Le Cornu agreed not to ban Dima from driving owing to his previous clean record, and allowed him to pay the fine at the rate of £100 per month.
