A Pembroke man has been banned from driving all vehicles until April 2019 after he admitted speeding away from police.

Joshua Iris, 23, pleaded guilty to charges of driving dangerously, driving while disqualified, driving an uninsured vehicle and obstructing police in their line of duty.

The court heard that at around 4.45pm on February 24, officers noticed a white car parked on Reid Street near Washington Lane, blocking traffic.

Officers attempted to find the driver of the vehicle and eventually noticed Iris approach the car. He admitted being the driver of the vehicle, after initially denying it, and when asked for his driver’s licence handed police his Royal Bermuda Regiment ID.

During conversation, the officers noticed that Iris smelled of cannabis and informed him that they intended to search him and the vehicle. Iris sat in the drivers seat of the car, but was told he was not free to leave yet.

Other officers arrived at the scene and, while they were being briefed, Iris started the car and rapidly accelerated down Reid Street, forcing other drivers to take evasive action.

While Iris made good his escape, CCTV footage showed Iris speeding onto Queen Street, Church Street and Par-la-Ville Road, driving through a red light and causing other vehicles to pull over to avoid collisions.

The court heard that further inquiries revealed the vehicle driven by Iris was not insured, and Iris had been banned from driving all vehicles until April 2017 due to a previous offence.

After pleading guilty, Iris apologised for his actions, which he described as careless and juvenile.

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo banned Iris from driving all vehicles for a period of two years, adding that the ban run consecutively with the earlier term.

He further fined Iris a total of $3,300 for the series of offences.

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