Français
On November 28, as usual, magistrates in Saint-Barthélemy had to examine a series of cases involving alcohol-related traffic offences. Drunk driving, or handlebar drinking, depending on the defendants' choice of locomotion. This 42-year-old man was found on the asphalt beside his scooter in the Anse des Cayes district. It was around 1pm. A blood alcohol test revealed a level of 1.76 grams of alcohol per liter of blood. On the stand, he explained in a somewhat confused manner that he was indeed on the scooter, but that it was a woman who was driving. She was injured and taken to hospital by the fire department. Although he has several previous convictions for drunk driving, both the prosecutor and the president felt that there was insufficient evidence that he was at the controls at the time of the accident. He was therefore discharged.
Another case concerns a 39-year-old man. He was absent from the hearing because he lives in France. On May 9, he had an accident with his quad bike at around 4:30 am. Because of his injuries, the blood alcohol test was not taken until 7.30am. His blood alcohol level was 1.86 grams per liter. Psychologically monitored, he had already been convicted of similar offences on two previous occasions. He received a 30-day fine of 10 euros.
The next defendant is also a repeat offender. On June 29, he was stopped at 8 a.m. by the local police, who detected a strong smell of alcohol. When asked to pull over, he started off again. A few minutes later, he was arrested by the gendarmerie. He explained that he had been partying until 4 a.m. and had panicked when he was stopped. He received a four-month suspended prison sentence, his license was suspended for six months and his vehicle was confiscated.
