Woman jailed and disqualified from driving

Friday 24 July 2020

A 34-year-old has been taken off the roads for five years after being found guilty of being in charge of a vehicle while four times over the drink drive limit.

Amanda Moorat was sentenced to nine weeks in prison and disqualified from driving for five years.

On 25 February at around 01:00, a Hauteville resident noticed a silver Volkswagen Polo in the road with its lights on but no one inside. 

Later on, at around 03:15, someone cycled past the vehicle, which was still empty with its lights on. The driver's side door was wide open, the keys were in the ignition, the windscreen wipers were on, there was a handbag inside the car, and there was steam coming out the vehicle, so the cyclist called the emergency services. 

Guernsey Police and the Fire & Rescue Service attended the scene, and officers later found the defendant around by Havelet Mews.

According to officers, Moorat smelt of alcohol and was unsteady on her legs. She was taken to the vehicle, which she admitted was hers.

Moorat admitted to having consumed alcohol, estimating that she had drunk "three or four pints", but said "I didn't do that", referring to the steam that had emitted from the vehicle. 

She failed a roadside breath test with a reading of 146mcg per 100ml of breath and was arrested.

Pictured: At the police station, Moorat's lowest reading was 123mcg - 35mcg is the legal drink drive limit. 

Defence Advocate David Domaille brought attention to the fact that Moorat was being sentenced for being in charge of a vehicle while drunk, rather than driving it. 

"You know the car was running stationary from 1am and had not been touched since 1am," he said. "It was sat there not really doing anything."

It was also contended that Moorat had not driven since 19:30 the previous evening, but Judge Graeme McKerrell did not buy it.

"I have extraordinary difficulty in accepting that to be true," he said.

"If you left a vehicle unattended with the lights on, I am sure that would have created attention before 1am. There is a public house right outside and people coming in and out. This was a residential area, not a quiet country lane."

Judge McKerrell said he took into account the fact that Moorat was being sentenced for being in charge of the vehicle, which was different from being caught driving the vehicle while over the limit. 

However her previous drink driving offence, which saw her taken off the roads for two and a half years back in 2011, counted against her. 

Moorat was disqualified from driving for five years and sent to Les Nicolles Prison for nine weeks.

Pictured top: Guernsey Prison.