A man who was distracted when he tried to retrieve a baby bottle while driving, was convicted, reprimanded and discharged and ordered to pay compensation for careless driving.
Matthew Mitchel pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Dexter Wason in St Johnโs Magistratesโ Court.
Mitchel was driving along Friars Hill Road on August 25, 2023, when he became distracted and ran into the rear of the vehicle that was in front of him.
Both vehicles were traveling in a northerly direction in a line of traffic when the defendant bent over to retrieve his childโs bottle that had fallen to the floor of his vehicle.
When officers visited the scene of the accident about 2:30pm, Mitchel told them that he was driving, the traffic came to a standstill and he collided with the vehicle in front of him.
The court gave him until February 11 to pay just overย $1,200 to the female complainant, failure of which will land him in prison for 30 days.
