Gympie region dad on trial for allowing kids to drive without licence, drink driving

A wine drunk Gympie region dad told his children to “get in the f------ car” while a concerned neighbour watched on. Things only got worse from there.

A drunk Gympie region dad, who sat in the passenger seat while two children under 12 drove up to 70km/h through a quiet street, has maintained he did nothing wrong.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court to one charge of allowing someone without a licence to drive a car, and one charge of drink-driving from August 10, 2021.

He represented himself in the courtroom, with one supporter in the public gallery for the first half of the trial.

Two witnesses were questioned, including a neighbour who said he saw the man yelling at two of his children to “get in the f------ car” before a 10-year-old sat in the driver’s seat of the V6 Holden Commodore.

The Gympie region single dad did not have legal representation during his court appearance on Thursday. Photo: Elizabeth Neil

He said the man was clearly drunk, but sat in the front passenger seat of the car while the child drove up and down the street several times at approximately 40km/h.

After a few laps, the other child, a 12-year-old, took over as the driver and did the same thing, the neighbour said.

Things got worse when the younger child got back behind the wheel, this time driving up to 70km/hr, the court heard

“I thought ‘holy shit, this kid is going to go through the house down that way’ (sic),” the neighbour told the court.

“I’ve seen young people die in an accident before, and I just … called the police.”

Police arrived at the property a short time after the joy rides ended, with bodycam footage of police questioning the man about the allegations shown to the court.

Police were nearby when they received the phone call from the concerned neighbour and arrived at the scene within minutes. Photo: Google Maps

In the video, the dad rejected accusations he had allowed his children to drive up and down the street, despite the fact the car’s engine was hot.

Instead, he told police he was teaching his children how to turn the car on and off and how to work the gears in his car.

Cries from the defendant’s other children could be heard in the background of the footage while police attempted to calm them down.

The man was heard arguing with the officer and slurring his words throughout the footage.

But the officer did not accept this, and he told the man what he had done was “not responsible”.

The man maintained his innocence throughout his appearance in Gympie Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The man later admitted to drinking wine, but said he did not drive on the road.

He was detained and taken to the Gympie watch house where he was breath tested and blew 0.168, more than three times the legal limit.

As a result, magistrate Chris Callaghan found the man guilty on both charges.

The man hung his head low as his verdict was delivered.

He was fined $1500 and his license was disqualified for six months.