Graeme Matthew Ryan faces Dalby Magistrates Court for high range drink driving

A man who was busted by police drink driving more than three times the legal limit was caught hours later in a stranger’s driveway, claiming he was trying to sleep.

A man was found parked in a stranger’s driveway after a woman reported him for “suspicious” activity, just hours after he was busted by police driving more than three times the legal alcohol limit.

Graeme Matthew Ryan appeared at Dalby Magistrates Court on July 4 where he claimed he was turned away by security of a hotel where had a room booked and decided to get behind the wheel and drive home drunk.

Police prosecutor Derek Brady said the 41-year-old was randomly intercepted by Western Downs police on May 28 while driving his ute along Condamine St in Dalby where he returned a BAC of 0.175.

Ryan’s drivers licence was automatically suspended following the high-range drink driving offence.

Sergeant Brady said just after 3am police received a call from a woman who reported a “suspicious” vehicle that had been driving up and down the Bunya Highway then parked the car in her driveway with the headlights on.

“Police identified it was (Ryan), he had driven 2km away from the Dalby township and stopped,” Sergeant Brady said.

“He said he tried to drive home and got lost and decided to sleep with the heater on in his vehicle. When he was transported to Dalby station he failed to provide a breath for analysis.”

Graeme Matthew Ryan was sentenced at Dalby Magistrates Court for one count of driving while under the influence, driving without a licence and failing to provide a breath test sample. Picture: Facebook

Defence lawyer Cade Bandit said his client had been going through a “rough separation” from his wife of 17 years.

“(Ryan) was not in a good headspace and got into an argument with another patron at the pub and left to de-escalate the issue,” Mr Bandit said.

The court was told the father of three had a room booked at a hotel but was denied entry by security for being too intoxicated.

“(The security) didn’t know he had a room booked and that’s when he made the foolish decision to get into the vehicle,” Mr Bandit said.

Magistrate Kyna Morice told emphasised the man’s “exceptionally high reading”.

“No decision making was going to be sensible in any event,” she said.

“The risk you pose to other road users – there may not have been a lot of traffic at that time, but it’s significant.”

Ryan pleaded guilty to one count of driving while under the influence of liquor, driving without a licence and failing to provide a breath test sample.

He was fined a total of $2000 and disqualified from driving for three years.