Mings off the road for more than six months for traffic offences

A man who drove illegally says he was “smoking a spliff” while behind the wheel and tried to evade police accumulating several traffic offences in the process.

And After spending a night on remand at HMP Dodds 27-year-old Osbourne Delano Mings, a baker from Arthur Seat, St Thomas returned to the St Philip penal institution today to serve a longer sentence after pleading guilty to the charges.

Sergeant Edwin Pinder told the District ‘A’ Traffic Court that Mings was driving motorcar H4174 on February 2 when he became involved in an accident along Eagle Hall and left the scene. He fled along Barbarees Hill with police in pursuit turning onto Richmond Gap where he struck Deborah Leacock, a pedestrian. He also left that scene but subsequently turned himself over to police, where under caution he said: “I was trying to get away from the police and just happened to hit the woman. It was not my intention, I sorry about what happened.”

The pedestrian received injuries to her arm and leg.

He was charged with being the driver of the motorcar along Barbarees Hill about 11:50 a.m., drove without due care and attention; without reasonable consideration for other road users; when he was not the holder of a driver’s licence; injured Deborah Leacock by driving furiously and driving without insurance. He was also charged that about 11:58 a.m., that same day he drove without due care and attention on Richmond Road; without reasonable consideration for other road users, when he was not the holder of a driver’s licence as well as being involved in an accident and did not immediately stop.

He appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick yesterday and was remanded overnight to appear before the Traffic Court magistrate today.

In explaining himself from the dock this morning he told Magistrate Bannister: “I sorry for knocking the woman and the injuries she received. I am very sorry. . . I was smoking a spliff. I was afraid . . . saw the police . . . and panicked, no injuries to the officers.”

The magistrate then sentenced Mings saying that the penalty was to deter him and others from engaging in similar behaviour.

Mings will spend the next six months in prison for his furious driving which resulted in Leacock injuries. He was also sentenced to pay $750 forthwith or spend 75 days in prison for driving without insurance. That will run consecutively. He was also fined $500 with an alternative of 50 days in prison for not stopping immediately at the scene of the accident.