Busted: Traffic offenders, drink or drug drivers sentenced in Gatton Magistrates Court

From drink or drug drivers busted behind the wheel while intoxicated to confusion over licence suspension orders, here are some of the latest drivers to face Gatton Magistrates Court. See the full list here.

A number of people were sentenced in Gatton Magistrates Court on Monday, January 22 for their poor behaviour behind the wheel.

From repeat to first time offenders, see the full list of those who pleaded guilty to traffic related offences below.

CONVICTION RECORDED

• Sharnn Anthony Paul Reardon

The 30-year-old appeared in Gatton Magistrates Court for drink driving and related offending.

The court was told this wasn’t the first time was Reardon busted intoxicated behind the wheel.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Narelle Lowe told the court police were notified that Reardon was driving intoxicated and unlicensed on Stamford Place in Laidley on the night of November 5, 2023.

Sergeant Lowe said Reardon was found by police at an address on Laidley-Plainlands Rd and appeared to be highly intoxicated, before returning a breath alcohol reading of 0.153.

Police checks later revealed the vehicle Reardon had driven to the address was unregistered and wasn’t fitted with an interlock, as per a previous court order.

Barrister William Brown told the court his client had a history of alcohol misuse and was taking the relevant steps to address these issues.

“He’s recognised his situation by his evidence, by attending AA meetings and trying to work through his issues” he said.

Magistrate Andrew Walker warned Reardon his previous high range drink drive offending meant he was very close to having a mandatory imprisonment order imposed.

Reardon pleaded guilty to one count each of driving while under the influence of liquor, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving a vehicle other than is allowed under an interlock condition and contravening a direction or requirement of a police officer.

He was sentenced to probation for nine months, was fined $800 and disqualified from driving for a total of 18 months.

Convictions were recorded.

• Daniel Mathew Morris

A trip out to a local dam landed Daniel Mathew Morris in court, charged with driving unlicensed while demerit point suspended.

Morris was pulled over by police on Gatton-Esk Rd in December 2023, and when he failed to provide his licence to officers. Later checks revealed his licence was demerit point suspended until January 11, 2024.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Lowe told the court Morris made admissions to police he knew his licence was suspended, but thought he could still drive locally.

Morris told the court he would now be relying on his push bike to get him around and that he’s prepared to stop speeding.

Magistrate Walker told Morris he shouldn’t be speeding anyway and needs to have a valid licence before getting back on the road.

Morris pleaded guilty to driving without a licence while demerit point suspended and was fined $450, as well as handed a further six month licence suspension.

Convictions were recorded.

• Brendan Bosa Kukiti

Driving without a licence and while intoxicated, just days before his suspension period was over, was what landed Brendan Bosa Kukiti in court.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Lowe told the court that when Kukiti was pulled over by police for a roadside breath test at Gatton in December 2023, he returned a positive reading of 0.062.

Further checks by police revealed his international drivers licence was disqualified at the time.

Sergeant Lowe told the court Kukiti’s drivers licence had been suspended by Toowoomba Magistrates Court in September 2023, for a period of three months to end on December 25, 2023.

Kukiti made admissions to police that he knew his licence was suspended and that he hadn’t been driving until recently when he started having relationship problems with his partner.

The court was also told Kukiti had told officers that he wasn’t sure what the legal alcohol limit was in Queensland.

Magistrate Walker told Kukiti due to his high range drink driving in September last year, he would be facing a long licence suspension in Australia.

Kukiti pleaded guilty to both charges and received a fine of $1200, as well as a licence suspension period of two years and three months.

Convictions were recorded.

• Robert Norman Boughen

Caught drug driving for the third time in a matter of years landed Robert Norman Boughen in court.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Lowe told the court Boughen was pulled over at Plainland in July 2023 for a random roadside drug test and later testing returned a positive result for cannabis and methylamphetamine.

Boughen told the court he’d recently been approved for the medicinal cannabis program to help treat his epilepsy.

The court also was told Boughen would now be reliant upon his elderly mother for transportation.

Magistrate Walker reminded Boughen that he couldn’t drive regardless of being on the medicinal cannabis program and if he were to commit the same offence again, he would face a period of probation.

Boughen pleaded guilty to driving while a relevant drug was present in his saliva and was fined $900, and given a licence suspension period of six months.

Convictions were recorded.

NO CONVICTION RECORDED

• Shane Matthew Charles Parnell

Shane Matthew Charles Parnell appeared in Gatton Magistrates Court on Monday after unpaid SPER payments saw his licence suspended.

The court was told Parnell was pulled over by police on Whittle St in Gatton earlier this month and initial checks revealed his licence was suspended in October 2023 due to unpaid SPER payments.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Lowe told the court Parnell told police he hadn’t realised his licence had been suspended.

The court was further told Parnell later went home and rectified his SPER debt.

Magistrate Walker took into consideration Parnell’s efforts to quickly rectify his SPER debt and negotiations in court saw the charge reduced to driving unlicensed, removing the aggravated part of the offence, being ‘while demerit point suspended’.

Parnell was fined $200.

No conviction was recorded.

• Jarred Andrew Mackay

Confusion over a work licence application saw Jarred Andrew Mackay land in court.

The court was told Mackay was on a 12-month good behaviour order when he was caught speeding in September 2023, which saw him incur a loss of three demerit points.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Narelle Lowe told the court Mackay’s six month licence suspension kicked in when he was pulled over in September, with the demerit point loss breaching his good behaviour order.

The court was told Mackay had told police he intended on making a work licence application, but further inquiries by police revealed he hadn’t lodged the necessary paperwork, which saw him issued with a notice to appear for driving without a licence while demerit point suspended.

Mackay told the court there had been some confusion as to the relevant documents that need to be submitted in order to make a work licence application.

He further told the court had he known the work licence application hadn’t been properly submitted, he never would’ve driven.

Mackay told the court the six month licence suspension would be detrimental to his employment as a supervisor at mining group BHP.

Magistrate Walker said given the work licence application hadn’t been submitted before the licence suspension started, Mackay would have to see out the six month suspension.

Mackay pleaded guilty to driving without a licence while demerit point suspended and fined $450 and a six month licence suspension.

No conviction was recorded.