An American tourist has been slapped with an $800 fine after he admitted refusing to give police a breath sample.

Darren Hill, 42, from Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to the charge in Magistrates’ Court.

The court heard that at around 5.15pm on July 5, police were travelling along Mangrove Bay Road in Sandys when they found an auxiliary cycle laying on its side and a group of three people standing nearby.

The officers spoke with the group and were told that one of the three, Hill, had been driving the vehicle.

Hill reportedly said with an audible slur that he had been driving to Dockyard when he lost control of his motorcycle.

Asked if he had been drinking, Hill confirmed that he had two beers.

When told he was going to be arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired, he accused one of the other men in the group of punching him in the face. That man responded that he had taken away Hill’s keys when he attempted to get back on the bike and admitted pushing him in the process.

Hill was arrested and taken to Hamilton Police Station, where he failed to provide an adequate sample of breath for analysis.

After pleading guilty, Hill apologised for his actions, saying he should not have got on his vehicle after drinking.

“I have been coming to Bermuda for 13 years and never had type of incident whatsoever,” he said.

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo responded that if he returned to the island within the next 12 months, he will not be allowed to ride, issuing Hill a one-year ban from driving and a $800 fine.

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