Barry Cant convicted of drink driving after mixing up pints on his way home from work

A senior Burnside Council employee has pleaded guilty to drink driving, telling a court was consoling a grieving friend – but didn’t realise how big his pint was.

An eastern suburbs civil servant has pleaded guilty to drink driving after he stopped on his way home from work to console a friend over pints.

On Wednesday, Barry Cant, 46, faced the Adelaide Magistrates Court before Magistrate Benjamin Sale, charged with driving with excess blood alcohol.

Cant holds the title of Director of Environment and People within the Burnside Council.

On November 23, 2023, Cant was driving home from work when a close friend contacted him to share he had received the news his mother was terminally ill and had only weeks to live.

There he drank three pints while consoling his friend, before making the “short” drive to his home in Westbourne Park.

Director of Environment and Place for Burnside Council, Barry Cant, left, outside court on Wednesday after being fined and convicted for drink driving.

Cant was pulled into a static driver testing station around 7.30pm on Unley Rd where he blew a positive blood alcohol reading confirmed by a second test to be 0.130 – just 0.020 off a high range reading.

The court hear Cant told police on the day he “had three beers and minimal food other than a man shake”.

Casey Isaacs for Cant said it was “unfortunate they were imperial pints” and did not have much regard for the “different between imperial pints and normal drinks”.

“He didn’t realise an imperial pint would cause such a high reading,” Mr Isaacs said.

When Mr Sale asked if Cant was surprised by the reading, Mr Isaacs said “he was surprised it was so high”.

The court heard Cant had led a law-abiding life prior to this offending and had no prior history.

Cant had drunk three imperial pints of full strength beer - and was “suprised” his reading was so high.

The instant loss of licence issued at the time of the offence has caused “a great deal of hardship upon him” and has interfered with his ability to work.

Mr Sale accepted his plea was entered at the “first opportunity” and had not suggest he was anything other than guilty of the offence.

“It may well be that your mind wasn’t really on how much you were drinking but rather what your friend was telling you … there is no suggestion you drove madly,” Mr Sale said.

“In my view, if you made a habit of doing this sort of thing, you wouldn’t be driving around the roads of this state without being caught before, which suggests to me this is a very unfortunate combination of circumstances.”

Cant was issued with a $900 fine, a 6 month licence disqualification dating back to November 23 and ordered to pay court, prosecution and victims of crime fees.

A regulatory conviction was recorded.