Gympie region drink drivers, unlicensed drivers caught before Christmas | List

From a woman parked in the middle of the road to have a bite to eat, to a man busted with a bag of drugs, these people were caught doing the wrong thing behind the wheel in the Gympie region over the holiday break.

The first day of Gympie traffic court for 2022 came with a list of 20 names.

Of those, six drivers were caught doing the wrong thing on Gympie roads between November and the end of December, 2021.

It comes after more than 200 lives were lost on Queensland Roads in 2021, with the Wide Bay and Burnett region claiming the highest death toll with at least 27 lives lost.

These are the people who were sentenced for traffic offences on Thursday.

Terrence Michael Dwyer – Drink driving, caught with drugs

Pomona man Terrence Michael Dwyer, 64, was originally pulled over for speeding along the Old Bruce Hwy at Federal on November 27 when he was caught drink-driving and found with a bag of marijuana.

Dwyer pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court on Thursday to one charge of drink driving and one charge of possessing marijuana.

The court heard Dwyer had 13 grams of marijuana in his pocket when stopped.

He willingly handed it over before he was breath tested and blew 0.081.

Defence lawyer Chris Anderson said his client was on his way to a friend’s house when he was pulled over.

Dwyer was placed on a $150 good behaviour bond by Magistrate Chris Callaghan, and his licence was disqualified for two months.

A conviction was not recorded.

Tyrell Godfrey Neil Stanley – Driving without a licence

Gracemere man Tyrell Godfrey Neil Stanley, 24, was caught driving without a licence while he was in Goomeri on December 6.

Stanley pleaded guilty to the charge.

The court heard Stanley was pulled over while driving along the Wide Bay Hwy at Goomeri, where he told police his licence had been suspended but he had since got it back.

But that was not the case.

Defence lawyer Mark Oliver said offence took place in “unfortunate circumstances” as his client was on his way to Cherbourg hospital with his brother to visit their dying grandmother in hospital.

He said sadly their grandmother passed away two days later.

Stanley was fined $500 and disqualified from driving for two years.

A conviction was not recorded.

Kody Clem Christie – Drink driving

East Deep Creek man Kody Clem Christie, 18, was caught drink driving after a night out with friends on December 12, 2o21.

He pleaded guilty to the charge in Gympie Magistrates Court on Thursday, where he was supported by his family in the public gallery.

The court heard Christie, who was on his green P’s at the time, was driving along River Rd with four friends in the car when he was pulled over by police at 2am.

He blew 0.126.

Defence lawyer Chris Anderson said his client was “embarrassed” by his offending.

Magistrate Chris Callaghan said Christie was “a good young lad”, evident through references tendered to the court.

Christie was fined $650 for the offence, and his licence was disqualified for three months.

A conviction was not recorded.

Jessica Claire Owen – Drink driving

Southside woman Jessica Claire Owen, 26, fought back tears during her appearance in Gympie Magistrates Court, where she pleaded guilty to one charge of drink driving.

She represented herself in the courtroom and was supported by a woman in the public gallery.

The court heard Owen’s car was seen parked in the middle of Groundwater Rd, Southside on November 22 and several cars were forced to swerve onto the opposite side of the road to avoid her.

She moved her car off the road once police arrived and told them she had stopped in the middle of the road to eat some food.

She was breath tested at the scene and blew 0.072.

Owen fought back tears as she apologised for her behaviour and said she took full responsibility.

She was fined $200 and disqualified from driving for two months.

A conviction was recorded.

Jayden Luke Bayldon – Driving without a licence

Gympie man Jayden Luke Bayldon, 21, was caught driving without a licence after he was pulled over by police on Christmas Eve, 2021.

Bayldon represented himself in court, and pleaded guilty to unlicensed driving.

The court heard Bayldon was pulled over while driving along Pine Street, Gympie.

He told the court he had no reason for driving.

Bayldon was fined $750 for the offence and disqualified from driving for two years.

A conviction was recorded.

Lee John Burke – Drink driving

Boonara man Lee John Burke, 32, was caught drink driving after he claimed he had one beer with his lunch.

Burke represented himself in court on Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to drink driving.

He had a learner licence at the time.

The court heard he was pulled over while driving along the Burnett Hwy at Goomeri on December 13, where he blew 0.059.

He told Magistrate Chris Callaghan he did not understand the reading, considering he had only had one beer with his lunch.

“Must have been a big beer,” Mr Callaghan said.

Burke was fined $150 and had his licence disqualified for three months.

A conviction was not recorded.