A STATES Member and former minister who admitted driving at twice the speed limit without insurance has been fined and warned that if he commits another offence he may lose his licence.
The Magistrate’s Court heard that St Saviour Deputy Philip Ozouf drove his silver BMW along Les Ruisseaux – where the speed limit is 15mph – at 31mph on 2 November.
When stopped by the States police, Ozouf admitted the offence immediately, saying: “I know, I know, I know why I’ve been stopped.”
After being stopped, it also emerged that the insurance disc on his car had expired in June 2023, and Ozouf was unable to provide valid insurance.
He was given until 14 November to provide the relevant documentation to prove to the police that he held valid insurance.
However, it was not until after the deadline had passed that he emailed the required documents, which later confirmed that the vehicle had in fact been insured at the time of incident.
Ozouf failed to attend three parish hall inquiries in connection with the offences.
He admitted this was due to negligence on his behalf, as he had failed to provide the relevant information regarding his change of address, resulting in him missing multiple notices.
The former Treasury Minister said that the delay in providing documentation and failing to appear at the parish hall inquiries was because of a death in the family.
Assistant Magistrate Adam Clarke imposed a £275 fine and decided to endorse Ozouf’s licence rather than ban him from driving. However, he warned Ozouf that further offending could result in him losing his licence.
Ozouf was fined a further £300 for failing to produce valid insurance when stopped and in the timeframe given, resulting in a total fine of £575.
