Eight drink and drivers sentenced in Gladstone Magistrates Court this week
Eight people were sentenced in Gladstone Magistrates Court this week for traffic offences.
Police & Courts
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From being drunk at the wheel on the roadside to putting faith in an old pub myth, eight drink or drug drivers faced Gladstone Magistrates Court this week with very different offending circumstances.
Jarred James Hay, 19
A Gladstone man found by police drunk at the wheel told them he and his mate were just charging their phones, a court heard.
Jarred James Hay, 19, pleaded guilty in Gladstone Magistrates Court on Monday to drink driving while being the holder of a provisional licence.
The court heard that on May 11, around midnight, police saw a car parked in Wenitong Street with the engine running.
Police approached the car and saw Hay and his friend in the front seats of the car with keys in the ignition drinking alcohol.
When questioned by police Hay said they had the car running to charge their phones.
The court heard Hay submitted to a roadside breath test which returned a positive result and he was taken back to Gladstone police station for further testing.
Hay told police he was at the Rocky Glen Hotel drinking earlier that night and then continued drinking while charging his phone.
“The defendant admitted he was not aware a person could be charged with drink driving while sitting in the driver’s seat of a car with the engine running,” Prosecutor Senior Sergeant Tania Griffiths said.
Hay’s secondary breath test returned a positive reading of .061 per cent and he was issued a notice to appear in Gladstone Magistrates Court.
Magistrate Bevan Manthey said he had to take into consideration Hay’s complete lack of criminal history when handing down his sentence.
Hay was convicted and fined $600 and suspended from driving for three months. A conviction was recorded.
Philip John Frederic Rapson, 64
A single pot of beer before driving landed a man in Gladstone Magistrates Court on Monday.
Philip John Frederic Rapson, 64, pleaded guilty to drink driving.
Prosecutor Ms Griffiths told the court Rapson was intercepted by police driving a Ford Festiva on Yarroon Street at 1.30pm on October 19.
Rapson submitted to a roadside breath test which returned a positive result and he was transported to Gladstone police station for further testing.
Rapson’s second breath test returned a positive result of .050 per cent and he was questioned about his drinking that day.
He made admissions to drinking one pot of Great Northern before being intercepted and was issued a notice to appear in Gladstone Magistrates Court.
“If I knew I was anywhere near going over the blood-alcohol limit, I would never have had a beer in the first place,” Rapson told Magistrate Bevan Manthey.
Rapson was convicted and fined $400 and suspended from driving for one month. A conviction was recorded.
Jack Connor Harkin-Devries, 23
A disturbance at a fast food restaurant led to a man appearing in Gladstone Magistrates Court.
Jack Connor Harkin-Devries, 23, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to drink driving.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Carl Spargo said police were called to McDonalds, Gladstone Central at 9.45pm on October 10 for a disturbance.
Police attended the car park and saw Harkin-Devries on foot, however, found him a short time later and subsequently arrested him.
Officers reviewed CCTV footage of the incident and saw Harkin-Devries was the driver of a car involved.
Harkin-Devries submitted to a roadside breath test which returned a positive reading of .127 per cent, the court heard.
He was issued a notice to appear in Gladstone Magistrates Court.
Harkin-Devries was convicted and fined $900 and suspended from driving for three months. A conviction was recorded.
Arwin John Edmunds, 52
A man who put his faith in an outdated pub myth wound up in Gladstone Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Arwin John Edmunds, 52, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Bevan Manthey to drink driving.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Carl Spargo told the court Edmunds was intercepted by police on the Dawson Highway, West Gladstone at 7.47pm on August 28.
Edmunds submitted to a breath test which returned a positive result and he was detained for further testing.
When questioned by police, Edmunds said he drank seven XXXX beers in six hours between 1.30pm and 7.30pm and used the ‘two in the first hour, one every hour after that’ myth, the court heard.
Edmunds’ second breath test returned a positive result for .073 per cent and he was issued a notice to appear in Gladstone Magistrates Court.
Magistrate Bevan Manthey convicted and fined Edmunds $600 and suspended him from driving for one month.
Bailey Jackson Watkins, 18
A Calliope man intercepted by police admitted to having just concluded a nine hour drinking session with his mates, a court heard.
Bailey Jackson Watkins, 18, pleaded guilty in Gladstone Magistrates Court on Tuesday to three charges including drink driving.
A court heard that on September 30, around 1.04am, police were called regarding a drunk man driving a car.
Around 1.20am police locate a red Holden Barina on Red Rover Road, Callemondah and spoke with Watkins, the driver of the car.
Police could smell liquor on his breath and computer checks revealed he was driving past his Queensland provisional one licence hours restriction.
Watkins submitted to a roadside breath test which returned a positive result and he was taken back to Gladstone police station for further testing, a court heard.
When questioned about his drinking, Watkins said he started drinking around 4pm on September 29 and could not remember how many drinks he had.
The second breath test returned a positive reading of .113 per cent and Watkins was issued a notice to appear in Gladstone Magistrates Court.
Magistrate Bevan Manthey convicted and fined Watkins $1000 and suspended him from driving for five months. Convictions were recorded.
Darren Jay Andrews, 33
An Agnes Water man was under the impression he was not driving with drugs in his system after waiting 24 hours before getting behind the wheel, a court heard.
Darren Jay Andrews, 33, pleaded guilty in Gladstone Magistrates Court on Tuesday to drug driving.
A court heard Andrews was intercepted on September 16, around 10.20am, at Iveragh driving a white Subaru for a random drug test.
Andrews’ test returned a positive indication for a relevant drug and he was detained for further testing.
When questioned, Andrews did not make admissions to recent drug use.
At 10.53am Andrews’ second test returned another positive result and he was issued a notice to appear in Gladstone Magistrates Court.
Police lab tests returned a positive result for methamphetamine and marijuana on September 24, the court heard.
Andrews told Magistrate Bevan Manthey he was remorseful for his actions and thought the drugs were not in his system before driving.
Mr Manthey convicted and fined Andrews $800 and suspended him from driving for three months. A conviction was recorded.
Kade Anthony Thomas Kober, 24
A man with a troubling traffic history faced Gladstone Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Kade Anthony Thomas Kober, 24, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Bevan Manthey to drug driving.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Carl Spargo told the court Kober was intercepted driving his Mazda wagon on Park Street, West Gladstone at 9.30am on August 31.
Kober submitted to a roadside drug test which returned a positive result and he was taken to Calliope police station for further testing.
Kober’s second test confirmed the presence of a relevant drug in his saliva and he was issued a notice to appear in the Gladstone Magistrates Court and a driving suspension.
Police lab checks confirmed the presence of methamphetamine and cannabis in Kober’s saliva.
Magistrate Bevan Manthey convicted and fined Kober $300 and suspended him from driving for six months. A conviction was recorded.
Brett Louis Myers, 61
A man would not confess any recent drug use to police despite his saliva test returning a positive result, a court heard.
Brett Louis Myers, 61, pleaded guilty in Gladstone Magistrates Court on Tuesday to drug driving.
On September 15, around 8.40am, Calliope police were conducting random drug testing at a site on the Bruce Highway at Iveragh.
Police intercepted Myers, whose test returned a positive result and he was escorted to a police car for further testing, a court heard.
When questioned, Myers made no admissions to recent drug use and could not offer an emergency reason for driving.
Myers’ second test confirmed the presence of a relevant drug in his saliva and he was issued a 24-hour driving suspension notice and a notice to appear in Gladstone Magistrates Court.
Police lab checks confirmed the drug present in Myers’ saliva was marijuana.
Magistrate Bevan Manthey fined Myers $400 and suspended him from driving for one month. A conviction was recorded.
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