Daniel Kelly, 37, of La Rue de la Corbinerie, St Martin’s, admitted the drink-drive offence when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court and was jailed for two months.
The court was told how a member of the public had called the Joint Emergency Services Control Centre at about 5pm to report that they had seen a white Renault Trafic van nearly collide with another vehicle.
It was also reported that it had a flat front nearside tyre. The van was located on the Albert Pier, and it was stopped by police officers at 5.50pm as the defendant drove it up Fountain Street. An evidential test at the Police Station following his arrest showed there were 141mcg of alcohol per 100ml of his breath – four times the legal limit.
Kelly told police he could not recall nearly colliding with another vehicle but remembered his van had been difficult to drive.
Defending, Advocate Mark Priaulx said his client had made no attempt to minimise the seriousness of his offending. He had accepted his guilt at the earliest opportunity and shown great remorse.
Kelly had suffered a series of personal losses in a short period and now had the support of professionals. There were unusual circumstances is respect of his medication that would have had the potential to impair his judgment at the relevant time.
Judge Gary Perry said that from what he had been told, he did not see any exceptional circumstances in this case.
The defendant had driven a damaged vehicle through town in the rush hour while four times the prescribed alcohol limit.
The court had made its stance clear many times as to where it stood in relation to high-level drink drivers.
The defendant had not made a mistake and had taken a deliberate decision to drink and drive, which had posed real danger to other road users.
Kelly was sent to prison for two months, and banned from driving for four and a half years.