Man Fined $2,500 For Drunk Driving Accident

In Magistrates Court on Friday, Michael Lambert, 31, at first pleaded not guilty to three charges. Then re-pleaded and admitted to guilt on two of the three charges; and the Crown dropped the charge to which he had pleaded not guilty.

Lambert came out of that encounter with a fine of $2,000 for driving whilst impaired – but it was the second such offence within a very short time; and the breath test showed that Lambert had 200mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood. Lambert was also fined $500 for driving whilst disqualified; having been disqualified – for driving whilst impaired – less than one month before.

All three charges arose out of a single vehicle accident on 26th January 2013. Lambert explained to Senior Magistrate Archie Warner that he had been drinking, but was the passenger and was being driven home, in his mother’s car, by a man whom he hardly knew but had seen around and who was named Jerome. He said that with Jerome driving, the car had struck a wall and that Jerome had immediately ‘bailed’.

Questioned by the Senior Magistrate, Lambert said that the accident left the car in a dangerous position and that he made the decision to move the car so it no longer presented a danger to other road users. He said he then waited for Police to come.

Having listened to all that Mr Lambert said, Senior Magistrate Archie Warner said that he was not being cynical but that he did not believe Lambert’s story.

The Senior Magistrate then handed out a fine of $2,000 for driving whilst impaired, $500 for driving whilst disqualified, and a three year disqualification from driving all vehicles.

The Senior Magistrate told Lambert if he came before the Court again for driving whilst disqualified, he was likely to be sent to prison.

#DrunkDriving #MagistratesAndSupremeCourt

Category: All, Court Reports, Crime