Nelson Mandela Bay Metro
A 59-year-old man from Port Elizabeth, who was arrested on Monday for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and crashing into a senior police officer’s vehicle, was released from custody before appearing in court.
The driver was arrested for ignoring a stop street and colliding with the private vehicle of a senior Metro police official.
Nelson Mandela Bay’s Metro police chief Yolande Faro said both drivers were breathalysed at the scene.
She said the suspect’s reading was 0,83mg in 1000ml of breath which is almost four times the legal limit. The police official returned a zero breathalyser reading.
The suspect was taken into custody and appeared in the St Albans Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said, however, that the matter was not enrolled as the prosecutor in court had questions regarding the breathalyser used.
She said that once this particular matter is resolved the suspect will be subpoenaed to appear in court.
The test used during the arrest is the controversial Drager which measures the volume of alcohol vapour in the driver’s breath.
The reliability of this test has been in question for years and was at the centre of a test case in the Western Cape High Court nine years ago.
