A man who crashed a BMW into a wall at Greeba while over the drink-drive limit, with a passenger on board, has been banned from driving for two years and fined £1,400, according to Isle of Man Today.
He was ordered to pay the fine and £125 in prosecution costs immediately or face up to 70 days in prison. Before he can drive again he will have to pass an extended test, and the ban will be recognised in the UK as well.
Prosecuting advocate Annie Bannister told the court that paramedics called police at 04:30 on 3 October to the A1 Main Road. Officers found the badly damaged car beside a wall opposite Greeba Towers.
The defendant admitted he had been driving and told officers he had “had a couple of drinks”. A breath test at police headquarters gave a reading of 53, against a legal limit of 35.
Duty advocate Ian Kermode handed in a letter of apology. He said his client had recently suffered a family bereavement and a work-related injury. He had been drinking in Douglas and had set off for home, intending to drop his friend off on the way.
Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood said that while the reading was not the highest, crashing “with somebody else in the car is a significant aggravating factor”.
