Drunken criminals that shocked South Australia and faced court for their illegal antics
From crashing into a local fish and chip shop to smashing up a poker machine, we reveal some of the state’s worst drunks and their criminal antics.
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Ever thought you’ve had a couple too many and got up to some mischief?
These intoxicated crooks have done much worse.
From crashing into a local fish and chip shop or smashing up a poker machine to stealing a life jacket from a plane after being refused alcohol, these are some South Australia’s worst drunks and their criminal antics.
TONY PETER CALABRIA
A Pooraka man was more than $2000 out of pocket after he smashed up a poker machine at a Salisbury hotel before telling police he couldn’t remember doing it.
Tony Peter Calabria, 53, pleaded guilty in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court to one count of property damage.
The court heard Calabria was intoxicated when he caused more than $1000 worth of damage to a touch screen on July 1, 2019 at the Eureka Hotel.
Police prosecutor Carl Maynard said Calabria was seen with blood on his hand before leaving the premises.
However, Calabria said he could not recall the incident.
“I can’t even remember the night,” Calabria said.
“It won’t happen again. I don’t get drunk anymore, since that day, I refuse to drink.
“I drink but I quit at two drinks.”
Calabria received a conviction, was fined $300, ordered to pay $1035 for damages to the poker machine and $681 in court costs and other charges.
BRIAN JOHN WITHELL
A Christies Beach man has little recollection of blocking a police officer from entering a shisha lounge and then punching him in the face, a court has heard.
Brian John Withell, 39, is now trying to live a “more peaceful life” after becoming aggressive on a night out.
A police prosecutor told the Adelaide Magistrates Court an off duty police officer was at the Empire Shisha Lounge in Adelaide on February 27.
“He attempted to walk inside the shisha lounge when he was approached by an unknown male – the male stood in the way of the victim preventing him from entering the premises,” the police prosecutor said.
The court heard Withell clenched his fist and adapted a fighting stance despite the police officer asking him multiple times to move.
“He moved closer and said f*** you, let’s go,” the police prosecutor said.
“The victim has shown the male his police identification and identified himself as a police officer.”
Withell pleaded guilty in court to assault police and unlawful possession.
Mr Bennett sentenced Withell to a one-year good behaviour bond of $500.
Convictions were recorded.
AVINASH KRISHNAN
A 28-year-old Seaford Meadows man faced court after a night of drunken post-soccer celebrations landed him in trouble.
Avinash Krishnan pleaded guilty at the Christies Beach Magistrates Court to drink driving an unregistered car at more than three times the legal blood alcohol limit, crashing into a fence and leaving the scene.
A police prosecutor told the court police had been called to a Seaford Meadows address following reports of a car crash at 5.30am on September 27.
“On arrival they discovered the offending vehicle had left, conducted some preliminary investigation where they located a number plate lodged in a damaged area of fencing,” the prosecutor said.
Searches revealed the number plate was registered in Krishnan’s name and police later located him at his home address.
Krishnan was taken to the Christies Beach Police Station where he recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.167.
The avid soccer fan told the court he had been celebrating his final soccer match of the season with friends before driving home and crashing into the fence.
“I left (my friend’s house) at I’d say about 4am, it was a long way back, I was feeling sleepy, I nodded off after the roundabout and hit into the kerb and didn’t realise I’d hit the fence at that point,” Krishnan said.
Magistrate Lynette Duncan convicted Krishnan and fined him a total of $1600.
He also received a mandatory 12-month disqualification and was ordered to pay $3051 in impounding fees.
JULIA ULRIKA MELIN
A mother-of-three punched a woman in the face and spat on her in a random city attack before trying to bite a man who was attempting to restrain her.
Fuelled by alcohol and “virtually frothing at the mouth” in anger, Julia Ulrika Melin, 34, attacked strangers in the Adelaide CBD on December 13, 2019.
A police prosecutor told the Adelaide Magistrates Court the victim was waiting at the North Terrace tram stop with her parents when the incident occurred.
“She noticed a female on the platform that appeared to be under the influence of a substance – she could hear the female yelling randomly,” the police prosecutor said.
“The victim said she tried to ignore the female, however the female then spat in her direction and the spit landed on her face.
“The female then punched her in the face which connected with her right cheek.”
Magistrate John Fahey said the offending was serious.
“It doesn’t help the victims in this case to know the reason they were punched or manhandled was because you were having a bad day or a bad life,” he said.
“They were still affected by it.”
Mr Fahey sentenced her to one week and 13 days in jail.
He wholly suspended the sentence on a 18-month good behaviour bond of $200.
Convictions were recorded.
CAROL NOLEEN PRESTON
A 62-year-old drunk driver is “lucky” she is alive, a magistrate said, after she became airborne, smashing through fences at Barnacle Bill takeaway, on the hunt for more booze.
Carol Noleen Preston said she made a terrible mistake when deciding to drive while four times the legal limit, causing her to plough through fences and hit parked cars.
A police prosecutor told the Adelaide Magistrates Court Preston was driving on February 16 at 11.30pm when she crashed.
“The accused lost control of her vehicle when driving through a bottle shop, resulting in her colliding with two fences and two vehicles,” the prosecutor said.
The court heard Preston also smashed into tables and chairs at the Plympton Barnacle Bill restaurant next door.
The Glenelg North woman, who returned a blood-alcohol of 0.215, had drunk a bottle of wine before the crash, in which fortunately no one was injured, the court heard.
Preston pleaded guilty to drink driving and driving without due care.
Magistrate Koula Kossiavelos disqualified Preston from driving for 12-months and fined her $1100.
KATE EMMA MURRAY
A personal trainer has no memory of driving 8km while over three times the prescribed alcohol limit, before passing out at the wheel.
A police prosecutor told the Adelaide Magistrates Court police were advised there was a woman who was passed out at the wheel on April 18 at Broadview.
“Police observed the defendant in the driver’s seat, slumped forward over the steering wheel, the defendant smelt strongly of liquor,” the police prosecutor said.
Murray was breathalysed and returned a reading of 0.151.
The court heard Murray drove approximately 8km before stopping her car on the side of the road.
“She was found by police in quite undignified circumstances,” he lawyer, Michael Jandy said.
Magistrate Chris Smolicz said it was lucky no-one was hurt during the incident.
“That could have potentially put members of the public at risk, clearly you were extremely affected by alcohol,” he said.
“I’m sure you’ve learnt from this lesson and you won’t do this again.”
Mr Smolicz fined Murray $1100 and disqualified her from driving for 12 months, backdated to April 18.
A conviction was recorded.
CHLOE ALICE WILLIAMSON
A woman’s efforts to avoid a RBT escalated after she assaulted a police officer during arrest, which landed her in custody.
Chloe Alice Williamson, 23, will be off the roads for two years after she made a foolish decision to drive after a night of drinking.
A police prosecutor told the Adelaide Magistrates Court Williamson was seen performing a U-turn and driving away from a random breath testing station on May 21 at North Adelaide.
“She (Williamson) turned into the pedestrian area of the Adelaide Oval … at the time pedestrians were present, walking around,” the police prosecutor said.
“Due to bollards the vehicle came to a stop.”
The court heard Williamson attempted to run from police before she was arrested.
“She had a key in her right hand, she threatened to stab the officer,” the police prosecutor said.
Joel Horskins, for Williamson, told the court his client had no prior criminal history and spent nine days in custody for the offending.
The court heard she was unemployed but was seeking work in real estate or administration.
Magistrate Stefan Metanomski fined Williamson $2200 and disqualified her from driving for two years.
Convictions were recorded.
AINSLEY FAIRHEAD
A drink driver who drank a significant amount of wine after receiving some bad news was remorseful for then getting behind the wheel.
Ainsley Fairhead, 34, will be off the road for close to three years after she blew the highest blood-alcohol reading a magistrate has seen.
A police prosecutor told the court a witness heard a loud crashing noise at Glenelg South on December 9 at 3.30pm.
“He saw a light-coloured car collide with a parked car on the side of the road,” the prosecutor said.
“He saw the female driver attempting to put the car into gear and managed to get it moving again … he watched her drive away with smoke coming from the tyres as it rubbed against the bodywork of the vehicle.”
The witness reported the incident to police who arrived and found Fairhead, who returned a reading of 0.315 when breathalysed, a short distance away.
She was issued with an immediate 12-month licence disqualification.
“She states she only had two drinks of red wine,” the prosecutor said.
Magistrate Nick Alexandrides fined Fairhead $1600 and disqualified her from driving for 33 months.
“This is the highest blood-alcohol reading I have had to deal with in my history as a magistrate,” Mr Alexandrides said.
Convictions were recorded.
ROBERT JAMES FOSTER
Robert James Foster vowed to never fly again after a drunken and extraordinarily abusive tirade — in front of his young son — aboard an Adelaide-bound flight landed him on home detention for six weeks.
Foster, 38, became abusive on the Brisbane to Adelaide Tiger Airways flight TT313 on December 11 2018.
Just after the 3pm takeoff, flight attendants refused to serve him alcohol because he was drunk from a wine “bladder” in his overhead locker amid increasing anxiety over a belief the wing had “moved”.
Court documents revealed at “various time throughout the flight he stated: ‘You’re f***ing, joking, f***ing Tiger, I knew this, I’m never flying with Tiger again … so you’re refusing me a drink, you f***ing idiot.
“I can’t believe you f***ing service people in front of me and then you get down to me and you refuse me alcohol, all those c***s in front of me have got drinks and I can’t have a drink.
“You’re f***ing joking, all I want is a f***ing drink.”
His conduct forced the pilot to call, and be granted, “expedited arrival with priority” to Adelaide Airport, where he was met by Australian Federal Police officers at 6.05pm.
Cabin crew then told authorities a sealed, self-inflating lifejacket was missing, which was found in Foster’s bag.
Magistrate Brett Dixon sentenced Foster, 38, to six weeks’ imprisonment and fined him $800 for disorderly behaviour and theft.
“Your behaviour on that Tiger Airways flight was appalling,” Mr Dixon said.
“From the moment you entered the plane, cabin crew noticed you were intoxicated.”
DAVID PHILLIP BRYAN ANDERSON
A man admitted to punching a worshipper of Islam in the face in an Adelaide mosque — but insists he was merely drunk, not motivated by racism.
David Phillip Bryan Anderson claimed he had only wanted to discuss relations between the US, Israel and Islamic people when the incident, captured on CCTV, occurred.
The Reynella man appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court, pleading guilty to one count of assault causing harm.
He admitted striking a parishioner of the Islamic Mosque with a single, closed-first blow at Parkholme on December 22, 2017.
The court was told Anderson — a father of three — had been at a work function and drinking alcohol for nine hours before he came across a man at the mosque in Parkholme.
“The defendant approached him and started talking to him while he was standing under the outside veranda of the mosque,” the police prosecutor said.
“The defendant started talking to him about controversial topics, such as the US and Israeli politics which the victim did not feel comfortable speaking about.
“The defendant said, ‘you’re a Muslim, you should have an opinion — you’re an impostor Muslim’.”
She said Anderson got angry because the man would not express his political opinion before he punched him in the face, causing a deviated septum.
Craig Caldicott, for Anderson, told the court his client was contrite and remorseful for what happened.
He said Anderson, who works as a cabinet maker, wanted to apologise in person to his victim, but the offer was declined.
“He’s 35 and should have known better,” he said.
Magistrate Paul Foley gave David Phillip Bryan Anderson, 35, a fully suspended seven-month and six-day jail sentence.
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