Filed on March 5, 2017 | Last updated on March 5, 2017 at 05.07 am

He rammed into three other vehicles before hitting a light post.

A motorist, who caused an accident after driving under the influence of alcohol - which he consumed illegally - will be given 80 lashes and two months in jail, according to a court verdict.

The Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi has upheld earlier rulings by lower courts that handed down the sentence to the Arab man after he was found guilty of illegal drinking of alcohol despite being a Muslim.

The court also gave him two months in jail for driving under the influence of alcohol, causing an accident that injured other drivers, damaging of three other vehicles and damaging public property.

According to court documents, the man jumped red traffic lights as he was driving on one of the public roads in Ajman at the end of 2015. He then rammed into three other vehicles before hitting a light post.

The defendant and three other people in the other cars sustained minor injuries and were taken to hospital. The police later arrested the Arab driver after it was found that he was driving recklessly after consuming alcohol.

The Public Prosecution charged him with drinking alcohol, driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving, jumping the red lights, causing an accident that injured other people and damaging public property.

Both the Ajman Federal Court of First Instance and the appellate court had sentenced him to 80 lashes and two months in jail and ordered him to pay Dh50 as lawsuit fees.

He challenged the sentences at the top court, stressing that he was wrongly convicted. But the court rejected his appeal and maintained earlier verdicts.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com