A drunk driver who hid in a hedge after his vehicle collided with roadside railings in Ventnor has appeared before Isle of Wight Magistrates.
Sam Devine, 33 and of Merstone Lane, Arreton, was located by officers in the vicinity of the collision scene on Ocean View Road on 30th July this year.
Magistrates heard that the defendant was on his way home from Ventnor and had been drinking before the incident occurred at around 22:00. Police attending the scene located the BMW 520d in the middle of the carriageway with its airbags deployed, hazard lights on, keys still in the ignition and its nearside wheel ripped from its fixings.
As previously reported by Island Echo, damage was also caused to roadside barriers which had been left warped and bent following the incident.
A short search aided by a tip-off from a member of the public saw officers locate Devine in a nearby hedge, where he claimed that he had crashed ‘because a bus had hit him’ and had left the scene as he had panicked.
After being found hiding, the defendant underwent a roadside breath test in which he blew 78 microgrammes per 100ml of breath – the legal limit being 35. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of drink driving.
The 33-year-old, who has a previous conviction for an unrelated matter stemming from 2017, was handed a 20-month driving disqualification and ordered to pay a £415 fine, a surcharge of £42, and prosecution costs of £85.
WATCH – The moment Devine crashes his car into the railings on Ocean View Road
So WE have to pay for the repairs to the railings, the recovery and storage of the damaged car and probably keep him in benefits if he has lost his job due to the driving ban… WOW, crime really does pay! I wondered why things are getting worse for those who prefer to remain Law abiding, now I know.
Absolutely agree with you. I’m sure you’re not the only one who thinks this paying for loser’s crimes is utterly wrong. All crimes committed and proven in a court of law should automatically have any and all costs incurred attached to the convicted criminal throughout the entire UK. You do the crime; you pay for your crime.
Costs and fines mean nothing to these people. What should happen is Bailiffs appear at their address and take items to the total value of fines and costs. And if that means taking their OLED TV – so be it!
And who pays the considerable cost of repairing the railings?
Not that lying waster, you can be sure!
That is odd, an invisible bus, goes to show you really have to be careful.
Yep i saw one once….errrrr no i didn`t.
I suppose the bus was going to that mysterious place called Not In Service.
Get these scum off the roads permanently! Lifetime ban. Why is this country so damn soft on types like this?
Every time a crash happens our insurance premium goes up.
Why do good drivers have to pay the price for idiots ????.
It’s just not fair…
Any drink or speeding motorists if they get caught I think they should retake there test