Paulo Sergio de Freitas (36), of Les Ruettes, St Saviour, was fined £3,000 and had his licence endorsed after admitting allowing the van – which among its defects had a damaged windscreen and poorly maintained brakes – to be driven.
Jacinta Vieira Goncalves (42), of Longueville Road, St Saviour, who pleaded guilty to driving the defective Nissan Cabstar, was fined £750 and had his licence endorsed.
The Magistrate’s Court heard that the police stopped Goncalves on Route de la Libération at about 2 pm on 14 June. Due to the state of the vehicle, it was escorted immediately to DVS for an inspection which found that the van should not be allowed on the road.
Other defects detected included missing indicators, a broken mirror, leaking oil and a deflated tyre.
Advocate Guillaume Staal, defending, said that when the van was imported from the UK in April 2015, it was passed as roadworthy at DVS. He added that de Freitas had been co-operative and apologetic.
Magistrate Bridget Shaw told de Freitas that he would avoid disqualification, as he was a first-time offender.
She added: ‘It is not good enough to say “15 months ago it was imported and it was OK then”. You must bear the cost of keeping your vehicles in good repair. You are gaining commercial advantage at the price of putting people at risk.
‘This is about the safety of the public coming before the cost to your business. How would you feel if your vehicle caused injury or even a death? This must not happen again.’
When sentencing Goncalves, Mrs Shaw said: ‘You have a responsibility to make sure any vehicle you get into is safe for the road.
‘Drivers have to say: “I am not getting into a vehicle with a flat tyre, or a vehicle with a broken windscreen”.’
However, she said that she accepted that he had pointed out defects at times to his employer and that nothing was done about them.
