Van driver who crashed into tree has fine doubled

Thursday 21 September 2023

A 54-year-old driver who crashed his unroadworthy van into a tree has had his fine for careless driving doubled.

Rodney Julian Bevis admitted careless driving after taking to the roads on 1 March in a vehicle with serious defects.

Volkswagen van which had a defective shock absorber and two tyres with treads below the legal limit.

St Saviour Centenier Steven Laffoley-Edwards told the Magistrate's Court that Bevis was driving along St. Saviour Hill when his white Volkswagen van left the road at the bend into Bon Air Lane and crashed into a tree.

He was charged with careless driving because of the state of his vehicle. The Centenier said: "He failed to check that it was in a roadworthy condition. The van shouldn’t have been on the highway."

Pictured: The case was heard in the Magistrate's Court.

Yet Bevis did not pay the £100 despite frequent reminders.

"I do apologise, but I’ve had financial difficulties," he said. "I've been off work quite a lot for a few months with an illness."

However Magistrate Bridget Shaw responded: "I really don’t see why you couldn’t have paid when it was imposed."

Bevis had also failed to inform the parish of his new address when he moved, claiming he did not realise that he had to.

The Magistrate increased his fine to £200 and added £50 for failure to provide his new address. She allowed him one month to pay.