Teen spared prison after "gross intoxication" results in crash

Thursday 10 August 2023

A 19-year-old man, who drank four pints of cider and three double vodkas before nearly demolishing a wall in a car crash, has been warned that his "gross intoxication" very nearly landed him in prison.

Trennon Bettany (19), who pleaded guilty to drink-driving and failing to report an accident, was told by Magistrate Bridget Shaw that the crimes were "serious enough for custody".

But he was instead ordered to carry out 150 hours of community service and banned for driving for three-and-a-half years.

The Magistrate’s Court heard that Bettany had drunk four pints of cider in the Trafalgar Inn in St. Aubin on the evening of 19 March and had then driven into St. Helier, where he drank three double vodkas in a town centre nightclub.

St. Brelade Centenier Amanda Wright, prosecuting, said he lost he lost control of his white Renault Clio while driving home along Rue de Haut at 1.20am, and crashed into the wall. "The wall was pretty much demolished and the car was very substantially damaged," she said.

Neither Bettany nor his passenger were injured.

He later said he was unable to make a phone call from the scene because the battery in his mobile phone was flat.

However Mrs Wright said: "At 04:26 a member of the public saw the vehicle, with both air bags inflated."

Bettany returned to the scene at 08:16 and admitted to police there that he had been driving.

A roadside breath test showed there were still had 90 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - more than two and half times over the legal maximum is 35 micrograms.

Advocate James Bell, defending, said Bettany wanted to apologise "to the court and all concerned" and added: "He regrets his terrible decision to drive. After he hit the wall there was genuine panic on his part."

Bettany has not driven since the accident so Advocate Bell pointed out: "In a way he has had a self-imposed disqualification already. He has learnt his lesson and it will never happen again."

The Magistrate told Bettany: "This could have ended in a very different way.

"Everyone who drives any vehicle on any road has to understand that it has the potential to do serious damage or to kill."

She added: "This was gross intoxication. And you must have been driving at speed to demolish a wall."

She said she was taking into consideration his early guilty plea, his lack of previous convictions and his age in imposing a community service order and lengthy driving ban instead of prison.

But she warned him: "You will not get a second chance."

Bettany will have to retake the Jersey driving test after the period of disqualification has elapsed.