Drink-driver banned from roads

A 24-year-old man who drove his cycle while drunk and hit a pole was today banned from driving.

David Wilkinson of Warwick was riding his cycle west on Southside Road in St David’s when he attempted to overtake a taxi on June 16.

As he was overtaking the taxi, he hit a pole that was in the centre of the road and fell into the middle of the street.

When police arrived, Wilkinson was lying in the side of the road, groaning.

The court heard he smelled of alcohol. He was placed in an ambulance and taken to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Wilkinson’s motorbike was badly damaged as a result of the collision.

At the hospital, the doctor treating Wilkinson asked if he had been drinking and he said: “Yes, a lot”.

He also admitted to police that he was drinking. When officers asked him to provide a sample of blood for analysis, he agreed.

But when they gave him the consent form to sign, Wilkinson refused to sign it and refused to give a sample of blood.

Addressing the court, Wilkinson said: “I’m sorry for my actions. I need my transportation for my job. I’m sorry for what happened.”

But Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner gave Wilkinson a one-year driving ban and a $1,500 fine.