Dubai court jails driver for repeat offence of driving under the influence of alcohol
Motorist sentenced to three months in prison, fined Dh2,000 and stripped of driving licence after crash involving parked vehicle, barrier and lamppost

Dubai: A traffic court in Dubai has sentenced a driver to three months in prison, fined him Dh2,000 and revoked his driving licence after convicting him of driving under the influence of alcohol for the third time, using a mobile phone while driving at high speed, causing a traffic accident and possessing alcoholic beverages inside his vehicle.
According to court records, the driver failed to take road conditions and traffic regulations into account and did not maintain a sufficient safety distance while driving. This resulted in his vehicle colliding with a parked vehicle, an iron barrier and a lamppost, causing property damage.
The court documents also showed that the driver was using a mobile phone while driving and was travelling at high speed. The prosecution considered the conduct dangerous and a threat to his safety and the safety of others.
The court said the charges were established through the arrest report, inspection findings and the driver's confession before the court.
It noted that proof of alcohol consumption, when accompanied by visible signs of impairment or an actual traffic accident, is sufficient to establish the offence of driving under the influence of alcohol because of the danger it poses to lives and property.
The court found the evidence presented in the case to be consistent and sufficient to prove the charges, particularly the driver's admission that he had been driving under the influence of alcohol, which caused him to lose control of the vehicle and collide with a parked vehicle, an iron barrier and a lamppost.
The crash damaged the driver's vehicle, the other vehicle involved in the collision, the barrier and the lamppost.
The court ruled that the first four charges were closely connected and stemmed from a single criminal intent, and therefore treated them as one offence and imposed the most severe penalty.
The driver was sentenced in absentia to three months' imprisonment for those charges. The court also imposed a Dh2,000 fine for possessing alcoholic beverages inside the vehicle and ordered the revocation of his driving licence.