Tom Flaskett sentenced over reckless, drunk driving on Teewah Beach

An apprentice carpenter’s boozy beach driving near Noosa landed him in court where frustrated Gympie law enforcers blasted his stupidity.

A young carpenter’s mum will be driving him to work after he was lashed by a magistrate for boozy ‘fishtailing’ at Teewah Beach.

Tom Flaskett, 18, was sentenced in Gympie Magistrates Court on Monday morning after being caught recklessly and dangerously driving while intoxicated.

At 9.15pm on November 18 at Teewah Beach, police noticed a white ute vehicle dangerously fishtailing (the act of a vehicle losing traction and resulting in an oversteer) along the beach at the camping grounds.

Flaskett was pulled over and a breath test returned a reading of 0.108% BAC, over the limit for any driver let alone a P-plater who is required to have zero alcohol in the system.

The owner of the ute was in the passenger seat and two friends were in the back seat.

The court heard Flaskett told police he was “challenged by friends to fishtail” and remorseful for his actions.

Magistrate Chris Callaghan said it “was a stupid act” and Flaskett was an ”inexperienced driver and well and truly intoxicated”.

“You risk your own death”, he said

Police Prosecutor Melissa Campbell told the court “the reason we police that area so heavily is because we are trying to keep these young people alive”.

Flaskett had an otherwise clean traffic record since getting his license in August last year.

His lawyer told the court he required his license for work and not having it would put his career in jeopardy.

Magistrate Callaghan however told the court a message had to be sent to young people.

Flaskett was disqualified from driving for 10 months and fined $1000.