K300 fine or jail for drink driving

A Traffic Court in Lae has placed a man on a three-month good behaviour bond and ordered him to pay a K300 fine after he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol last week.
Failure to pay the fine will result in a three-month jail term.
Lae District Court Magistrate Issac Tjipet made the orders on Willie Ivan, 32, from Migarup village in Bogia, Madang, on Wednesday.
Magistrate Tjipet also ordered that Ivan had to maintain the peace at all times after he (Ivan) expressed remorse and asked the court for leniency.
Police prosecutor told the court that under the new Road Traffic Act section 42 (1), the maximum penalty for such offences was a fine not exceeding K5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both where a fined was imposed with imprisonment.
Police reports indicated that on July 11, at around 3.30 pm, the defendant who was employed by the National Security Industry as the regional compliance manager of momase office, was seen driving the organisation’s vehicle.
It was alleged that the vehicle was heading towards Big V at the front of Lae central police station administration building when Ivan got a bottle of beer and held it out of the window to the passengers on a passing dump truck.
Police officers on patrol in the area saw what happened and followed Ivan’s vehicle which sped down to Lae main market.
Police stopped the vehicle and ordered all passengers out and checked the vehicle and saw empty cans and bottles of beer, including two bottles of whisky.
The court heard that the passengers all appeared drunk and were taken to Lae central police station holding cell. Ivan was charged and then released on police bail of K300.