A Sandys man who admitted drinking before driving was banned from the road for 18 months on Tuesday.

Antoine Simons, 63, pleaded guilty to a single count of failing to comply with a request for a breath sample in an incident on the night of February 22 this year.

The court heard that officers stopped Simons at about 9.35pm after he was recorded travelling on Middle Road in Sandys at 60km/h.

While talking to the police, officers noticed that he appeared to be slurring his words and that his eyes were glazed.

Asked if he had been drinking, Simons said: “Yes. I had one beer. I just left my friend’s house and I had an Elephant.”

Simons was arrested and taken to Hamilton Police Station and, while he initially agreed to provide a breath sample, he later refused. “I told the officers that I had one drink before riding, but earlier in the day I had a few,” he said.

Magistrate Maxanne Anderson fined Simons $1,500 for the offence and banned him from driving all vehicles for 18 months.

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