Motorist spared jail due to “a real change in his attitude”

Friday 01 November 2024

A 20-year-old man who was found to have an unroadworthy, unregistered and uninsured car – on the same day that he was sentenced for other motoring offences – has been spared the jail term he was facing because of “a real change in his attitude”.

Jose Leonardo Santos Coehlo was instead fined £200 and given 70 hours of community service, to run concurrently with his existing community service order rather than after it.

The Royal Court heard that Coelho’s black Audi, found parked in St Martin, had a faulty exhaust system and silencer, no external or internal mirrors, missing seatbelts and a broken front headlight.

The car was not registered with Driver and Vehicle Standards and Coelho had no insurance for it. The window insurance disc inside had been taken from a moped parked nearby.

Crown Advocate Luke Sette, prosecuting, said that when interviewed Coelho said he had been given the car and had not been driving it.

He added: “He was unable to explain how the moped disc came to be in his car, and denied having taken the disc from the moped.”

The court also heard that the vehicle was found on 10 January this year – the day that Coelho had been sentenced to 180 hours of community service and 12 months of probation and banned from driving for three years for other motoring offences.

Advocate Mike Preston, defending, pointed out that Coelho had pleaded guilty at his appearance in the Magistrate’s Court, had a positive pre-sentence report and had written a letter of remorse.

He added: “He is extremely sorry. He never wants to be here again.”

Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae said that on the day of his sentencing in January Coelho was told he had come “within a hair’s breadth” of custody.

But he said the Jurats had decided not to impose a custodial sentence this time “because of the real progress you have made over the last ten months”.

Coelho was deemed at medium risk of reconviction but the Deputy Bailiff told him: “There has been a real change in your attitude.

“We hope you continue to make progress and hope that we won’t see you before this court or any other court again.”

The Jurats sitting were Elizabeth Dulake and Michael Entwistle.