An e-scooter salesman has been banned from the road after falling off his scooter drunk and breaking his dog’s leg.
Ramin Jabbari, 31, had the dog in a bag attached to the scooter and ‘slurred’ his words when police found him with a cut lip in Hyde Park. The businessman pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle over the alcohol limit and with no insurance when he appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. Jabbari, who sells e-scooters for £700 online, claimed he was ‘unaware’ e-scooters are illegal on UK roads, and thought he would be allowed to use it after drinking wine at a friend’s house on Boxing Day .
Privately owned e-scooters are still illegal on public roads and pavements, with riders at risk of £300 fines and six points on their driving licence if stopped by police.
The court heard Jabbari was heading home through the central London park when he crashed at around 9.30pm on Boxing Day.A passer-by heard the dog ‘screaming’ in pain and rushed over to Jabbari who was standing near a traffic island in the park.
In a statement, the witness said they called the police after Jabbari became hostile when they tried to check on the dog.
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‘I realised his behaviour was erratic and I turned away very worried. I believed he was drunk or mentally unstable so I called the police,’ the witness said.
Malachy Pakenham, prosecuting, said: ‘In custody the sergeant administered a breath test and found he had 50 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit being 35.’The prosecutor added: ‘Just because you can purchase something, it’s not legal to use on the road.
‘The Home Office is carrying out some studies but they haven’t been authorised. Regardless, you need insurance and you need a licence.
‘You can’t just purchase it and ride it away. That is the law.’
Jabbari, representing himself, said: ‘Unfortunately I really didn’t know it’s against the law to drive an electric scooter.
‘I’ve been driving for five years and I’ve never had a ticket. I’ve never been in trouble.’
He added: ‘I’m really sorry that it happened.’
Magistrates questioned why Jabbari was not also facing a separate charge for injuring the dog.
The prosecutor responded: ‘There is a high threshold with the Animal’s Act. It has to be more than being reckless or being stupid.Keep Dry Dog Food Fresh in a Sealed Container. Dog food can start to loose it’s freshness after it’s open. If you buy bags of dog food use an airtight sealed container to store it, the food will stay fresh for much longer inside a tightly sealed container.
‘You might think he’s pretty stupid for putting a dog in a bag in a scooter while drunk, but there isn’t a law I can think of that would fit that.’
Sentencing Jabbari, Chair Magistrate Gay Cheyne told him ‘you now know what you did is illegal’.He added: ‘We are obliged to disqualify you from driving for 12 months.’
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