A St George’s taxi driver has been banned from the roads for three years for drink-driving.

Appearing in Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Javon Butterfield, 41, pleaded guilty to driving on Middle Road in Sandys while under the influence of alcohol or drugs on April 28.

Butterfield was also charged with driving while over the legal blood-alcohol limit, but the Crown accepted a guilty plea to count one and offered no evidence on count two.

Prosecutor Maria Sofianos told the court that Butterfield was stopped near the junction of Middle Road and Wreck Road, after police observed his taxi swerving across the centre line as he was travelling west.

She said he told officers that he was swerving because his radio had dropped and he was trying to pick it up.

But the officers noticed that Butterfield’s eyes were red, and when asked if he had been drinking, he said that he’d had a single Elephant beer.

In court, Butterfield, who explained that he also works as a Transport Control Department examiner, apologised and stated that his position would be terminated if he is disqualified.

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo, who remarked on Butterfield’s previous conviction for a similar offence, added that this offence was worse because he was operating a public vehicle.

Mr Tokunbo disqualified Butterfield from driving all vehicles for three years — the minimum mandatory disqualification for a second offence — and fined him $2,000.