Hotel manager, three others appear in court for DUIs

A MANAGER at the Hilton Trinidad hotel was among four people who appeared in court on Thursday for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Two of the four were fined, one was reprimanded and discharged with a warning while the fourth had her sentence suspended.

Hotel manager Ashmeed Abass, 45, of Railway Road, Aranjuez, pleaded guilty to driving drunk on Wednesday and was fined $4,000 by magistrate Nizam Khan in the Port of Spain Sixth Magistrates Court.

Abass was given a month to pay the fine. He was arrested at 2.30 am on the Lady Young Road, Belmont, by police in a road block.

He told the magistrate he rang in the new year with his staff and had two “good drinks” of Johnny Walker and some champagne with them to show his appreciation for their hard work.

Abass failed the breathalyser test with a reading of 80 microgrammes. The prescribed limit is 35 microgrammes.

Also receiving a fine, was IT supervisor Ian Noreiga, 32, of La Florissant, D’Abadie, who was stopped by police at Fitzblackman Drive, Woodbrook, just before midnight on Wednesday. He too was fined $4,000 but was given three months to pay.

He said he had a designated driver who had an emergency and he was left stranded. Noreiga said he unsuccessfully tried to get someone to get him and told the police he had about four White Oak drinks before. Noreiga’s reading was 82 microgrammes.

Receiving a suspended sentence was Sherry Ann Bachan, who was held at 2 am on Wednesday at Lady Young Road. Bachan, 26, a university student, admitted to police she had three drinks of champagne.

Her attorney Ramesh Deena asked the magistrate to reprimand and discharge his client, since, he said, a conviction would affect her job prospects. He said her friends picked her up at her Aranjuez home to take her to Queen’s Park Savannah to watch the fireworks. He said her friends drove. While there she had three drinks of champagne, and when it was time to leave, she realised her friends could not drive so she took charge of the vehicle. Her reading was 46 microgrammes.

Khan fined her $3,500 but suspended the sentence so that she could perform 40 hours of community service before July 31. If she does not, she would have to pay the fine or serve the three months simple imprisonment. If she completes the community service she had then apply to the court to have her conviction erased.

Receiving a reprimand and discharge was Chelsea Grant, a 25-year-old bank worker of St Augustine. Her breathalyser reading was 39 microgrammes and it was because it was “barely over” the prescribed limit, she was discharged but given a stern warning by Khan to be careful in the future. She was held by police, also on the Lady Young Road, on Wednesday at 2.55 am.

Grant said she had a few drinks of wine and did not know it would have had an effect on her. She said she regretted driving and having to come to court was embarrassing.

Khan told her to “be conscious” of what she is doing now that she knows what the ramifications were for drinking and driving.

Also appearing before Khan were two people who were held by police for driving without a permit and insurance.

Nigel Henry, of Petit Bourg, was arrested on Wednesday in Malick, Barataria, after police stopped him, at about 1.10 pm, because he was driving without a seat belt.

He told the officer who charged him, “Boss, I don’t have a permit but I have a learners.”

Henry was told there was a proliferation of people driving without permits and insurance and advised to get one as it was the law.

He was fined a total of $5,000 to cover the three charges of driving without the permit and insurance and failing to comply. Henry was given three months to pay the fine or he will serve prison time in default.

Also taking a chance by driving without a permit or insurance was 20-year-old mother of three Julie Arjoon. Arjoon, a geriatric nurse, of Gonzales, Belmont, told the magistrate she took a chance to come into Port of Spain on Tuesday to buy milk anddiapers.

She failed to stop when ordered by the police officer and when she did, she rammed into the back of a parked police vehicle on Independence Square. There was no damage to the police vehicle.

Arjoon said she was “sorry” and was fined $4,000 and given three months to pay.

Khan told her, "You have to be careful of the decisions you make.”