Bing pleads guilty to traffic violations

Although he has driven for many years, radio personality Dwight “Bing” Joseph never held a driver’s licence.

As a result, he has been fined a total of $1,850 and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for three months.{{more}}

Joseph, co-owner of Boom 106.9 radio station and co-host of the ‘OMG’ radio show, appeared before Magistrate Carla James at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to four traffic offences.

In relation to the charges of driving without a permit, licence and insurance, James fined Joseph $500 each, to be paid forthwith or spend five weeks in jail.

For driving without a seatbelt, he was fined $350 forthwith or spend three weeks in jail.

The fines were paid.

According to the prosecution, at 4:45 p.m. on May 18, 2015, at the Prospect public road, traffic officers stopped motor vehicle P37, owned and driven by Joseph. Joseph was asked to show his driver’s permit, which he did not. It was also discovered that the vehicle was not licensed. When the police enquired about the vehicle’s insurance, Joseph claimed that he was insured. However, checks later revealed that this was not so. Joseph was also not wearing his seatbelt at the time.

According to a usually reliable police source, notice was given for Joseph to produce his licence and insurance.

“He did produce his insurance on May 28, 10 days after. It showed that it started on that same date. Records at the traffic department and licence office show that he never held a driver’s licence,” our source said.

SEARCHLIGHT was also reliably informed that on May 19, the day after he was stopped, Joseph purchased a learner’s permit to go through the process of becoming a licensed driver.

“He then went through the process he was supposed to do a long time ago. He did all the tests and he is now the holder of a class B drivers permit, but that is currently suspended from what happened in court,” the source told SEARCHLIGHT.

In mitigation, Joseph’s lawyer Ronald Marks said while he considers the traffic offences serious, he asked that the court exercise its discretion.

Marks said there were no aggravating features and no accidents in relation to the incident. He further stated that his client believed that the insurance for the vehicle had been paid, which was the responsibility of his office.

Marks asked the court not to suspend Joseph’s licence for any further length of time.

“He has a lot of responsibilities that involves him driving. He has to get to work before 5 a.m.; his station is at Prospect. He has to come to town on a daily basis for business and he has to pick up his children from school every day…,” Marks pleaded.

The lawyer said it was because of a technical glitch during the digitization of the licensing system in 2007 why Joseph’s licence information was not entered in the system. Marks said his client was told that they were attempting to find his information.

“I myself, they can’t find my T licence information since 2007 and I worked as a truck driver for years when I came out of school. He had the permit. His information was not entered into the digitialized system and was lost.”

Marks said Joseph had a permit to drive at age 18.

The magistrate said what is most disturbing to her is the fact that Joseph drops and picks up his children from school daily.

“And you’re giving that as a mitigating factor for me? He owned no permit. By extension, the vehicle is not insured. You don’t compound the problem by driving from 2007 to 2015 without having the documents…,” James said.

This is the second time that Joseph has had these four charges brought against him. On May 29, 2015, at a sitting of the traffic court, police indicated that they would be withdrawing the same charges against Joseph, also known as “The Fly Guy.”

However, police have declined to say why the charges were not pursued initially. (KW)