Electrician fined for "checking the time" using phone at wheel

Tuesday 25 July 2017

A Jersey electrician has received a £300 fine for checking the time on his mobile phone while driving – despite the fact that he was wearing a watch.

Brian Copas (47) was driving his white Nissan along L’Avenue de la Commune towards the Airport roundabout when he was pulled over by Police who spotted him using his black iPhone 7 on 19 June this year.

“I was just checking the time,” Brian Copas told the Police at the time.

Nonetheless, Copas was found to have been wearing a watch. When questioned by Magistrate Peter Harris, Copas replied by saying that he used his phone because it was, “…force of habit.”

The Court heard that the phone was held closely to the steering wheel, preventing any obstructions for the view of the driver. Commenting on the offence, Magistrate Peter Harris observed, however: “When the legislation first came in, it was very much making phone calls with smartphones. These days they do so much more than just allow you to make calls, and if people are distracted visually they do not concentrate on their driving and that’s why it’s a safety issue.”

Pictured: Copas' case was heard in the Magistrate's Court yesterday by Magistrate Peter Harris.

Brian Copas acknowledged that his action could have meant that he received a ban from driving. This is not the first time that Copas had been charged with a driving-related offence, having appeared twice this year at St Peter’s Parish hall for two other motor-related offences.

On this occasion, Copas was not banned from driving. He claimed that his livelihood depended on his ability to drive: “If I lose my license, I’ll lose my job and I’m the sole provider for my family.” Copas went on to declare that, “…it was a stupid act, which I won’t do again. From now on, my phone will stay in my pocket.”

Brian Copas now has one month to pay the £300 fine, with failure to pay the fine resulting in three weeks’ imprisonment.

Magistrate Peter Harris concluded by saying that if Mr Copas reappears in Court for the same offence, the result could be a ban from driving.