18 months jail for drunk driver

Barry Dabie, 48, of Debe, near Penal, received the sentences after it was discovered that he had two previous convictions for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol

In fact, as recently as August, Dabie had been fined and banned by a magistrate from driving for three years. Prior to that, in November 2015, Dabie was fined $8,000 by a magistrate for driving while intoxicated, which was his first such offence. On Sunday Dabie was arrested along the SS Erin Road and charged __ his third such offence. He pleaded guilty yesterday before Magistrate Natalie Diop who was told by prosecutor, Sgt Kasieram Lutchman, that it was at about 7 pm when Police Constable Guerra was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Dabie along the SS Erin Road

Guerra detected a strong scent of alcohol emanating from Dabie

Guerra identified himself as a police officer. Diop was told that Guerra asked Dabie to drive to the Debe Police Post where he was asked to produce his driver’s permit. However, Dabie replied, “Officer, I was banned from driving. I does pay somebody to drive.” Questioned further, he said he had been drinking beers

A breathalyser test revealed that Dabie’s breath contained 50 microgrammes of alcohol which was 15 mg over the legal limit

Lutchman told the court that on November 23, 2015, Dabie was slapped with the $8,000 fine which he paid to avoid a sixmonth jail term

Then on August 25, a magistrate fined Dabie $15,000 and he was also disqualified from driving for two years and his driver’s permit taken away

Asked yesterday by Diop what he had to say for himself, Dabie said, “I’m very sorry for my actions

“I am unemployed and my only income is from driving

Since I was expelled, somebody else does drive for me but I take a chance on Sunday because I needed some money to pay a debt.” In passing sentence, Diop told Dabie that the law becomes harsh in circumstances where a person registers his or her third conviction since the intention is to send a strong message to that person that their conduct cannot be tolerated. In addition to the jail sentence, Dabie was also permanently disqualified from driving