Daniel Richards pleaded guilty to driving recklessly and with excess blood alcohol
A welder taking his mate home from the pub drove down a closed-off road filled with thousands of Adelaide United soccer fans, forcing people to leap out the way.
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A fabrication welder who drove through a crowd of soccer fans while nearly three times the legal limit has lost his licence.
Daniel Richards, 44, pleaded guilty to driving recklessly and with excess blood alcohol in the Port Adelaide Magistrate Court in May.
The court heard Richards decided to give his friend a lift home after they had been at the pub together back in March, before driving through Adelaide United and Melbourne City fans.
“Police were conducting traffic control after closing down Manton Street at Hindmarsh for safe evacuation of pedestrians coming from the stadium after a sports event,” the police prosecutor said.
“They observed a Holden sedan turn right on to Manton street and on to a closed road section, before accelerating through orange traffic cones at approximately 60 kilometres an hour.”
“A police officer wearing a high-vis vest stepped on to the road, attempting to stop the vehicle which failed, resulting in the police officer having to jump out the way to avoid being hit.
“There were thousands of sports fans leaving the stadium with the expectation that road was closed.”
The vehicle was eventually stopped and Richards returned a reading of 0.142 but was not interviewed due to his intoxication.
When asked about his offending, Richards said there was only one thing on his mind.
“I was unaware of the game, I was just determined to take my mate back to his house,” Richards said.
Magistrate John Wells called Richards “fortunate” despite his reckless behaviour.
“It could have caused catastrophe of injuries, I’m sentencing you for this, not causing death by dangerous driving,” he said.
“You drove directly at a police officer.”
Richards was fined $1800 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Convictions were recorded.
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