Man fined $8,000 for speeding while drunk

This warning was sounded by a magistrate yesterday to a motorist in the San Fernando Magistrates’ court, who pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol and also, exceeding the speed limit.

“The court has to ensure the public safety, and yours as well. Putting all that into the mix, you took quite a dangerous course,” Magistrate Natalie Diop told Nicholas “Rico” Mohammed, 25, who was arrested on Tuesday night along the northbound lane of the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway. Mohammed was fined a total of $8,000 for both offences.

The legal speed limit on the highway is 80 kilometres per hour and 65 kilometres per hour on secondary roads.

Brought in handcuffs into the courtroom, Diop read the charge that when a breathalyser test was done on Mohammed, it was revealed that the alcohol content in his breath was 75 microgrammes.

The second charge alleged that he exceeded the speed limit by 53 kilometres per hour.

The prosecutor, Sgt Chanardath Jhilmit, said it was at about 9.29 pm when WPC Rajpatie Mahabir who was on a speed-test exercise with other police along the highway, stopped Mohammed’s vehicle - TDJ 6786, in the vicinity of Corinth. She told him that he had exceed the legal limit of 80 kilometers per hour. The officer then detected, the prosecutor added, a strong scent of alcohol which emanated from Mohammed’s breath.

Asked why he opted to drive whilst drunk, especially a heavy goods vehicle and, to compound matters, was speeding, Mohammed told Diop that he had suffered a bout of frustration while at work that night. A mechanic by trade, he said that he had applied for a loan, but the bank turned down his application.

“I was trying to get over something in my personal life. I have been really stressed out.

So, after work I went out, had a few beers and when I was finished, I was just trying to get home safe and was unaware I was over the speed limit.” Before passing sentence, Diop told Mohammed, “In your attempt to get home safe, you acted in a manner that made you unsafe.

You are now worse off than you were last week, because you are now standing before the court as an accused.

Your duty is to keep yourself safe as well as others.” Diop fined him $6,000 on the drunk driving charge, failing which he will serve nine months in jail. For exceeding the speed limit, he was ordered to pay $2,000 or serve two months. He has four months to pay the fines.