Driving ban for teen who buried number plates in "panic" after crash

Thursday 31 August 2023

A 19-year-old man who removed and buried his number plates in sand during a "panic" after crashing his car has been fined and handed a driving ban.

George Liam Wright was over the legal drink-drive limit when he drove along La Grande Route des Sablons in the early hours of 10 June.

St. Saviour Centenier Steven Laffoley-Edwards, prosecuting, said he had removed the number plates from his blue Ford Fiesta to avoid detection but was spotted by a witness. He buried them in the sand at Grouville.

A witness heard a loud bang as the car hit the wall. The Centenier said: "The vehicle was described as smashed up. There was significant damage to the front and moderate damage to the rear."

States police arrived at the scene at 02:15. Wright returned to the vehicle and undertook a roadside breath test, which gave a reading of 46 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal maximum is 35 micrograms.

At police headquarters he also gave a blood sample, which showed 90 milligrams of alcohol in100 millilitres of blood. The maximum allowed is 80 milligrams.

He admitted the charge of drinking and driving.

Advocate Allana Binnie, defending, said the offence was completely out of character for Wright and said: "He had been driving for just five minutes when he realised it was a bad idea and had been stupid."

Of removing and burying the number plates, Advocate Binnie said: "It was done out of panic and stupidity and he very much regrets that."

She added: "There was minimal damage to the wall. It was the car that bore the brunt of the damage."

Advocate Bridget Shaw told him: "Young people sometimes do things they wouldn't do if they were older and wiser, but this is a serious matter."

She fined him £1,600 and banned him from driving for 15 months. She ordered him to retake the driving test after the ban has elapsed.