Maria João Ventura Da Cunha Sa (56) appeared in the Magistrate’s Court where she pleaded guilty to driving while over the legal alcohol limit and failing to stop and report an accident.
Centenier David Curtis, reading out the facts of the case, said that on 24 July Sa had been driving out of Vincent Court when she hit two parked cars, causing minor damage to both, before leaving the area in her car.
A short time later, she drove back to Vincent Court to leave a note with her details on the damaged vehicles. She was spotted by one of the estate’s employees, who stopped her from driving and called police.
She later provided a specimen of blood which, when tested, was found to contain 153 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml. The legal blood-alcohol limit is 80mg per 100ml.
During interview Sa admitted drinking two vodka and orange juices at 3pm and said she had been ‘in a rush’ when she crashed into the parked cars.
Advocate Davida Blackmore, defending, said the damage to the vehicles had been minor and her client had attempted to return to the scene to leave a note.
‘She was entirely co-operative with police, and this [incident] was extremely out of character,’ the lawyer said. ‘She has no previous convictions and is extremely remorseful for her actions. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision that she made to drive.’
She also asked that any driving disqualification or fine was kept to a minimum as her client acted as a carer for her ill daughter and young son.
However, Relief Magistrate David Le Cornu said that while he appreciated what had been said he was unable to ignore that Sa had been driving while over the limit.
He fined her £2,000 – payable at £50 a week – and disqualified her from driving for 16 months. She was ordered to retake her test at the end of the ban if she wanted to drive again.
