Community service for speeding driver involved in collision

The Magistrates Court

A SPEEDING motorist who was involved in a road accident has been sentenced to 100 hours of community service and banned from driving for 18 months.

Rui Manuel Fonseca Ribeiro (29) was driving west along Route de la Libération at 10.30pm on 12 March at 59mph – almost twice the speed limit of 30mph – when his red Honda was involved in a collision with a blue Volkswagen Polo.

No one was injured in the crash but both vehicles were written off.

When arrested, Ribeiro admitted he had been speeding but insisted that he was not responsible for the crash, claiming that the Polo driver had driven across three lanes without paying proper attention.

Advocate David Steenson, defending, told the Magistrate’s Court that Ribeiro was not solely to blame, saying: ‘Speed was a contributory factor in the accident but not the only factor.’

He added: ‘The road was very quiet indeed at the time.

‘He is remorseful. He will do community service and there is no reason why he should not be able to.’

Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris said he was not imposing a prison sentence because Ribeiro was a first-time offender and had immediately pleaded guilty to speeding.

He ordered him to retake his driving test before driving again.

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