Robert Albert Edward de Boer-Williams (39), of Kensington Place, failed to provide a breath sample on one occasion and on the second he was in charge of a vehicle while over the drink-drive limit.
Police legal adviser Advocate Darry Robinson said that the first offence was committed in the early hours of 18 February when de Boer-Williams allowed an 18-year-old to drive his Ford Focus from the Tree House Restaurant down La Marquanderie Hill and on to the beach at St Brelade’s Bay.
The advocate said that the car got stuck in soft sand and the defendant ended up contacting the police for assistance.
When an officer arrived, he noticed that there were numerous circles in the sand and that the defendant was intoxicated. Inquiries revealed that the 18-year-old who had been behind the wheel had never held a driving licence. As a result, de Boer-Williams was technically in charge of the vehicle.
When he underwent a breath test at police headquarters, he gave a reading of 57 mcg of alcohol in 100 ml breath. The legal limit is 35 mcg.
The Magistrate’s Court heard that as the young driver did not have a licence, he was uninsured. De Boer-Williams admitted permitting the vehicle to be driven while uninsured and being in charge of a vehicle while over the drink-drive limit.
The second offence was committed in the early hours of 19 March after the defendant had been in a nightclub where he had consumed about four to five pints of beer.
The court heard that a member of the public contacted the police as he was concerned about de Boer-Williams driving. The defendant got into his car outside the Pomme d’Or Hotel and was stopped around the corner in Conway Street behind the wheel of the Ford Focus. He was also driving without a Jersey driving licence, although he held a UK licence.
He failed to provide a specimen of breath at police headquarters by failing to blow hard enough on four attempts.
The defendant also admitted failing to provide parish authorities with information about a change of address for the vehicle.
Advocate Adam Clarke, defending, said that some of the offences resulted from ignorance of the law. He said that his client was under the impression that the teenager he had allowed to drive his car had a licence of some type.
‘This was not wilful but a general misunderstanding of the obligations required under the law. There was no damage caused and that may have been more by luck than judgment,’ he said.
Advocate Clarke said that de Boer-Williams had made contact with the Alcohol and Drugs Service and Jersey Talking Therapies.
