Bruce Naut pleads guilty to driving offences in Bundaberg Magistrates Court

A drunk and disqualified driver led police on a daylight chase where he drove at them and later crashed into Kepnock High’s fence during school hours.

Bruce Naut crashed into the fence of the grounds of Kepnock State High School while drink driving.

Police were forced to activate their sirens when a drunken Bruce Naut started crossing double white lines and performing U-turns on them.

The Vanuatu national, who came to Australia to work on farms and support his partner and child back home, veered on to the wrong side of the road as part of his dangerous antics on the afternoon of May 24, 2022.

Naut pleaded guilty on Monday at Bundaberg Magistrates Court to a string of driving-related charges.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Andrew Powis told the court Naut reached speeds of 107km/h on FE Walker St, a 60km zone.

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He said Naut only slowed down when he caught traffic, but when officers drove to the side of the Ford Falcon and motioned for him to pull over, he reacted.

“When he realised the Falcon would be boxed in, he turned sharply towards the police vehicle, forcing police to take evasive action to avoid being hit,” Senior Constable Powis said.

Officers were forced to abandon their efforts, and Naut sped away.

But it wouldn’t be long before they saw him again.

At 2.40pm that same day, police were called to the scene of a crash at Kepnock Rd, in the 40km school zone.

Police who arrived at the scene noticed skid marks leading to the Falcon Naut was driving, which had crashed through the fence at Kepnock State High School, smashing part of a fence and coming to rest in the paddock after skidding about 35.4m and damaging a gutter.

The court heard one of the front tyres had “disintegrated” in the crash, with part of the front of the car wedged in the ground.

There were school students around at the time.

Bruce Naut leaves Bundaberg Court House.

Investigations revealed Naut had sped down Novakoski St, a 50km zone, before the crash.

When police finally caught up with him, he confessed to having drunk four glasses of dry white wine, and that he didn’t stop because he knew he was drunk and panicked.

His blood alcohol reading returned a result of 0.198 and a check showed Naut’s Vanuatu drivers licence was already disqualified in Queensland until March 2024.

Naut’s traffic history was handed up to the court, which included being convicted of drink driving in October 2021, driving disqualified in January 2022 and drink driving that same month.

Records showed the defendant had previously been given a ticket for driving uninsured.

His lawyer Matt Messenger accepted that it was “good luck, not good management” that prevented something worse from happening on the day he crashed into school grounds.

Mr Messenger said it wasn’t easy for his client to make the decision to come to Australia to support his family, and that he “sought solace at the bottom of a bottle” because he missed his partner and child.

In sentencing, Magistrate John McInnes stressed the severity of Naut’s actions.

“ … The traffic history is concerning and the consequences of this were potentially disastrous,” he said.

“I mean, it’s got everything wrong with it, hasn’t it?

Bundaberg Court House.

“Very high alcohol level, disqualified at the time, driving deliberately dangerously – first of all in a way that attracted attention to himself and then to evade the police and be involved in a later incident that fortunately didn’t cause injury to anyone.

“But it’s two-something in the afternoon on a school day on Kepnock Rd.”

Naut, who pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving, one count of drink driving, one count of driving disqualified and one count of evasion, was sentenced to probation and fines.

For evading police, Naut was spared jail due to factors including his inability to speak fluent English, but was fined $7187.50, referred to SPER.

For that same offence, he was disqualified from driving for two years.

He received a one-year disqualification for dangerous driving, and another year for drink driving.

For his offence of driving disqualified, he received a further two years’ disqualification.

He was also handed 15 months’ probation and ordered to pay $1500 to Education Queensland for fence repairs, referred to SPER.

The court heard Naut intends to remain in Australia for work until 2024, with the court hearing his cumulative disqualifications meaning he won’t be allowed back on Queensland roads.