Tuesday, October 30 2012

THE only way public perception about drinking alcohol and driving in this country is going to change, is if people start to go to jail for the offence.

Port-of-Spain Magistrate Wendy Dougdeen-Bally made the comments yesterday shortly before she fined a man $4,500 for exceeding the prescribed limit of alcohol, while driving.

Malcolm Thomas, 42, pleaded guilty before Dougdeen-Bally, in the Sixth Court. He was arrested on Friday at about 9.10 pm during a police exercise along St Ann’s Road in Port-of-Spain. Prosecutor Cpl Edward Edmund said Constable Clarke stopped Thomas who had the scent of alcohol on his breath. Thomas was taken to the Belmont Police Station where breathalyser tests were conducted. The results showed Thomas had 89 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, an excess of 54 microgrammes.

The legal limit is 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.