Court hears 43-year-old father Brent Duane Hull flees the scene of his crashed car on his mum’s advice, claimed cannabis was laced
A Port Lincoln father fled the scene after crashing his car before testing positive to a roadside drug test.
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A local father who failed to report a car accident – and later tested positive to drug driving – was acting on the advice of his mum, a court has heard.
The Port Lincoln Special Justice Court heard 43-year-old Brent Duane Hull failed to report crashing his car late last year after taking his mother’s advice.
Police Prosecutor Sergeant Sonya Shillabeer told the court Port Lincoln police followed Hull’s dust trail heading north east on Duck Lake Road just after 11pm on Friday, November 29, for several minutes before finding his car crashed into trees with the airbags deployed.
Hull was nowhere to be found.
On December 1, police spoke to the defendant who admitted he was driving the vehicle and had swerved to miss sheep that were on the road, resulting in the crash.
When police asked Hull why he failed to report the incident, he told the police his mother had talked him out of it, not knowing the extent of the accident.
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Sgt Shillabeer told the court there was significant damage to most of the vehicle.
Just over a month later, on January 3, Hull was stopped just after 5pm for mobile drug test where he returned a positive reading to THC and meth.
Hull’s lawyer, Rino Zollo, told the court his client did not use meth and that the cannabis he consumed must have been laced.
“My client is a 43-year-old man who has born and raised on the Eyre Peninsula,” Mr Zollo said.
“He has reassured me that he is by no means is a junkie and has never touch methamphetamines in his life.”
Hull was given direction not to drive.
Special Justice Court Judge Deb Sykes fined Hull the minimum of $900 and revoked his licence of the minimum of six months and two days.