REVEALED: Top 11 worst drink drivers in Gympie this year
These 11 drink drivers are the worst to be convicted in Gympie Magistrates Court in 2021 so far, with most of the defendants blowing three times the legal limit.
Gympie
Don't miss out on the headlines from Gympie. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Gympie magistrates have already presided over hundreds of drink driving cases this year, with some more serious than others.
These 11 drink drivers are the worst to be convicted in Gympie Magistrates Court in 2021 so far.
All these people pleaded guilty to driving while their BAC was at least twice the legal limit, with most recording three times the legal limit.
1. TAILOR LOUISE KATE WOOD
A 28-year-old Chatsworth mother lost her licence for a year after she crashed her car while more than five times the legal limit.
Tailor Louise Kate Wood recorded a BAC of .262 in a blood test after she wrecked her car while driving along Fritz Road about 10.30pm on March 22, 2021.
Gympie’s police prosecutor told the Magistrates Court the last thing Wood remembered “was drinking at a friend’s place that afternoon”.
Wood was disqualified from driving for a year and fined $1500.
2. JOSHUA DYLAN SCHIFFKE
Joshua Dylan Schiffke, 28, was driving along East Deep Creek Rd on the night of November 20 when he lost control of the car and ran into the tree head-on.
Schiffke, who returned a reading of .225 after the crash, pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence.
Schiffke pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in Gympie Magistrates Court.
He was fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
3. JEREMY FRANK DOUGLAS KELK
A Gympie man lost his licence for seven months after writing his car off following a drinking session with his boss.
Jeremy Frank Douglas Kelk, 33, was driving his Mitsubishi Pajero on Alenola Street about 8pm on March 18, when he lost control and rolled it on to its roof.
Magistrate Kurt Fowler accepted Kelk’s guilty plea to drink driving, but noted he also had a high speed offence on his record.
Mr Fowler fined the 33-year-old $1000 and disqualified him from driving for seven months.
4. DANIEL GEORGE MARTYN
A Tin Can Bay P-plater spent the night drinking at a pub with friends before getting in his car and driving, Gympie Magistrates Court heard.
Daniel George Martyn, 19, was stopped by police on Pine Street in Gympie at 2:30am on December 13, 2020, where he blew a BAC of 0.161.
After pleading guilty to drink driving in Gympie Magistrates Court, Martyn was fined $1000 and banned from driving for six months. A conviction was not recorded.
5. STEPHEN MARK TRACEY
Police stopped Stephen Mark Tracey, 63, because of the way he was driving and breathalysed him on December 8, 2020, on Bayside Rd, Tin Can Bay.
The test returned a reading of .157, more than three times the legal limit.
Solicitor Chris Anderson told Gympie Magistrate Court Tracey consumed 6-8 beers over a period of 1.5 hours before he made the decision to drive home.
Tracey was fined $1000 and banned from driving for six months.
6. JOSHUA BEAU SEARLE
Joshua Beau Searle, 23, pleaded guilty to driving over the middle alcohol limit (blood-alcohol reading between .100 and .150), failing to comply with a condition of his driver‘s licence and failing to ensure each passenger aged 16 or older in his car was fitted with an approved seat belt.
Searle was fined $1200 and banned from driving for six months.
7. TYLER JAY LAYFIELD PATIENCE
Tyler Jay Layfield Patience, 21, was fined $800 and banned from driving for six months after he was caught doing a burnout outside the Queenslander Hotel just after midnight on Christmas morning.
Layfield Patience blew .148 after he was stopped by police on that date, and pleaded guilty in the court to drink driving and wilfully driving a vehicle that made unnecessary noise.
8. MAX MCNAUGHT
Max McNaught was found by police slumped over the wheel of his ute on the night of December 5, 2020.
The court heard that when police roused him and asked him to unlock the door, the 21-year-old tried to put the car in gear, only to have it roll backwards towards the officers.
He finally opened his doors after police threatened to smash his window in, and later recorded a BAC reading of .142.
McNaught was banned from driving for nine months and sentenced to four months‘ jail, suspended for a year. He was also put on probation.
9. TYSON CRAIG WOODROW
Eighteen-year-old Tyson Craig Woodrow had been drinking throughout the day on November 18, 2020, before he tried to drive to Gympie‘s KFC about 11pm.
Police later recorded a .130 reading from the P-plater.
Woodrow was fined and disqualified from driving for three months. No conviction was recorded.
10. ALLAN PHILLIP WARREN
Allan Phillip Warren, 32, blew .117 after police found him in his car out the back of Charlie’s Hotel on Nash St just after 3am on January 31.
Warren was fined $300 and banned from driving for three months, but a conviction was not recorded against him.
11. JACK BRIAN DAVIES
An 18-year-old Gympie P-plater was stripped of his licence after being caught behind the wheel of a car while twice the legal limit.
Jack Brian Davies was pulled over by police while he was driving his Holden along Jane St about 11pm on December 15.
His roadside breath test returned a reading of .102.
Davies, a full-time manager at McDonald‘s who had no criminal history, pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court to driving while over the middle alcohol limit on a provisional licence.
Davies was fined $600 and was disqualified from holding a licence for three months. No conviction was recorded.
Mega gallery: Glitz and glam of Gympie Business Awards 2024
The 2024 Gympie Business Awards drew a packed audience, with 320 attendees braving the heat to honour local excellence. See the gallery and list of winners here.
Grave fears for man, woman pulled from wreckage after crash
A man is in critical condition and a woman was trapped following a serious two-vehicle crash in the Burnett region.