Princes Town magistrate disqualifies man from driving

A Princes Town magistrate disqualified a man from holding or obtaining a driver's licence for three years after he pleaded guilty to drunk driving and failing to wear a seat belt.

Magistrate Indira R.Misir-Gosine passed sentence on Derrick Durham on Wednesday.

She also fined him $5,000 for driving under the influence. He has three months to pay it or, in default, serve six months' hard labour in jail.

For failing to wear a seatbelt, the magistrate fined him $1,000. He must pay the fine within three months or, in default, serve two months' hard labour in jail.

Princes Town municipal police arrested Durham on Tuesday, and WPC Duntin charged him.

The court heard that acting Cpl Ali and other police were on mobile patrol in a marked police van along Palm Road Princes Town when they saw a man driving a silver Nissan Latio car without wearing his seatbelt.

The officers stopped the car and approached Durham, who was driving.

They asked to see his drivers' documents, which were found to be valid.

But the police noticed a strong scent of alcohol on his breath. His eyes were red, and his speech was slurred.

They cautioned him and told him about the offence of driving while under the influence of alcohol.

They took him to the Princes Town police station, where field sobriety tests was done. The first test revealed he had 132 microgrammes of alcohol for every 100 millilitres of breath. That represents 97 microgrammes over the legal limit of 35 microgrammes of alcohol for every 100 millilitres of breath.

A second test read he had 134 microgrammes of alcohol for every 100 millilitres of breath.