A man convicted of dangerous driving and lying to the police escaped with fewer demerit points than the law requires. Randolph Ball, 37, of Rock Valley, Warwick pleaded guilty in Magistrates’ Court yesterday to driving a motorcycle in a dangerous manner on May 1 and knowingly making false statements to the police. Magistrate Juan Wolffe fined him a total of $700 and awarded him three demerit points for the dangerous driving and two for the other offence.
False statements But Bermuda Sun research has revealed the law requires between seven and 10 points for a first offence of dangerous driving but doesn’t allow any for false statements. Crown Counsel Nicole Smith told the court that police officers saw Mr. Ball speeding down Spurling Hill in the mid-afternoon and onto Crow Lane without giving way to oncoming traffic that had the right of way. That included the officers, who had to brake suddenly to avoid hitting him. They chased Mr. Ball as he sped along Crow Lane “zig zagging” through the traffic and over hill on Trimingham Road. There he overtook a line of vehicles, forcing oncoming traffic out of his way as the officers closed in. When they stopped him Mr. Ball identified himself as Ryan Ball born two years later. When a warrant for that man’s arrest was discovered, the defendant exclaimed: “Oh, man! Ryan Ball’s my brother!” In court he told Mr. Wolffe: “I was scared at the time; I realise the seriousness of my actions.” In meting the sentence, Mr. Wolffe observed: “Your driving was crazy, to say the least.”
