An impaired driver narrowly missed being jail by a Magistrate yesterday while two others were given hefty fines.

Gladwin Bean, 44, of Victoria Row, Sands, plead guilty to driving while impaired in the early morning hours of the morning and Crown counsel Cindy Clark told Magistrate’s Court Bean had five prior convictions for impaired driving.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner said: “You have a real problem. You could kill someone, if not yourself. You’ve had convictions since 1993 and 1998. You’re lucky these are spent because you’d be heading to Westgate.”

At 12.50 a.m., yesterday, Bean was spotted by Police driving his car West on Somerset Road in Sands and when he tried to turn on a right-hand bend, he crossed the line and almost hit the Police car. The Police turned around and followed Bean who continued to swerve over the line and brake for no reason, before they stopped him.

When Bean left his car, the officers noticed he was swaying and smelled of alcohol. When he was arrested and cautioned, Bean said he had a few drinks in Hamilton and was taken to the Hamilton Police Station.

Kirk Whiteman, 42 of Spice Hill, Warwick was also arrested yesterday morning when Police spotted him pulling onto Middle Road by Lindos Supermarket in Warwick at 1 a.m. Ms. Clark told court, Whiteman appeared to look back at the Officers and then pull off into the parking lot next to the supermarket. They approached Whiteman and when they asked why he pulled over, he said he had seen the Police and though they were going to stop him.

The Officers smelled alcohol on his breath, arrested him and took him to Hamilton Police Station where a breathalyzer test showed 96 millilitres of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

Francis, the third of the impaired drivers in court yesterday, received over $3,000 in fines after he plead guilty to driving while impaired, no third party insurance, unlicensed vehicle and no valid driver’s licence on November 3 last year.

Ms. Clark told court at 8 p.m. Francis was driving on Sousa Estate Road when he forced a car travelling in the opposite direction to pull over so Francis could pass. Pulling over, however, was not enough and Francis swiped the other car, breaking the mirror. When Police stopped him in the Chaingate Hill area, they could smell alcohol on his breath and when he was arrested and cautioned he said: “I ain’t drunk or nothing like that.”

In court yesterday Francis insisted: “The facts aren’t true. We both had to pull over. I had messed up my car too.”

Mr. Warner fined Francis a total of $3,400, - $100 for not having a valid driver’s licence, $750 for an unlicenced vehicle, $1,000 for no insurance and $1,500 for driving while impaired.

Bean was fined $1500 and Whiteman $1,000 and all three impaired drivers were disqualified from all vehicles for 12 months.