Mackay drink or drug-drivers named and shamed
Pregnant women and first year apprentices were caught on the wrong side of the law when they decided to get behind the wheel after taking drugs or drinking alcohol.
Police & Courts
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Some drivers will be off the road for nearly five years after they were caught on the wrong side of the law one too many times while others fronted court for the first time.
Read the list of Mackay and Whitsunday drink or drug-drivers who faced court this week.
Convictions recorded
Kareena Maree Potts
A woman was caught drug-driving in the early morning the day after Australia Day.
Kareena Maree Potts was on a probationary licence when police pulled her over at 4.52am on January 26, 2022.
Potts didn’t make any admissions about drug use to police, but a test revealed she was positive for methylamphetamine.
Potts pleaded guilty in Mackay Magistrates Court on March 29 to drug-driving.
She was disqualified from driving for seven months and fined $850.
A conviction was recorded.
Marshall Damien Dempsey
A brickies’ labourer who had been disqualified from driving crashed his unregistered motorbike while on methamphetamine.
Police were called to the crash on Paradise St in South Mackay at 1.30pm on January 27 after Marshall Damien Dempsey skimmed the back of a truck turning a corner.
Dempsey was taken to Mackay Base Hospital and tested positive for methamphetamine.
Dempsey pleaded guilty in Mackay Magistrates Court on March 28 to driving while disqualified, driving unregistered and drug-driving.
The labourer told the court he had no intentions of driving that day, but made the decision to get on the bike after receiving news about his child.
“I was trying to get out to Sarina Hospital because my little one was in there and I had no one to pick me up,” Dempsey said.
Magistrate Damien Dwyer told Dempsey he shouldn’t have drug-driven in the first place.
“This is the second one in three, four months,” Mr Dwyer said.
Dempsey was disqualified from driving for two years and half years and was fined $2500.
A conviction was recorded.
Peter Kazakoff
A groundskeeper who recently moved to Mackay was caught on the wrong side of the law for the fourth time.
Police pulled Peter Kazakoff over at 5.15pm on January 22 on Illawong Drive for an RBT, where he blew 0.160.
The groundskeeper pleaded guilty in Mackay Magistrates Court on March 28 to drink-driving.
“I’m extremely remorseful for my actions, I understand having a licence is a privilege, and I’ve abused that rule, I’ve put myself and the community in danger, and I apologise for wasting your time,” Kasakoff said.
But Magistrate Damien Dwyer pointed to Kazakoff’s driving history and questioned the groundskeeper’s sincerity.
“Are you more remorseful today than you were in April 2017? Are you more remorseful today than you were in December 2013? Are you more remorseful than when you went through for drink driving in 2006 where you were three times the limit?”
“I think you’re more remorseful that you got caught than for what you’ve done.
“You’re heading into jail country.”
Kazakoff was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined $1100.
A conviction was recorded.
Nathan Philpott
A Tasmanian man fronted court with a string of driving offences and little capacity to pay for his crimes.
Nathan Philpott tested positive to driving while on methamphetamine on June 4 in Slade Point, and again on June 17 in Andergrove.
The court heard Philpott had also been caught driving with a suspended licence in Hampden on August 18 and driving disqualified in Miriam Vale on December 16.
Philpott’s lawyer on the day Grace Sharma told the court her client said he had taken the drugs two days prior to driving.
She said Philpott was unemployed and wishing to return to Tasmania.
Magistrate Damien Dwyer fined Philpott $3000 to be referred to SPER.
Philpott was disqualified from driving for four years and 11 months.
A conviction was recorded.
Convictions not recorded
Bailey John Watts
A first year cabinet maker scored a hat-trick of charges when police pulled him over for a late night RBT.
Bailey John Watts was on his P-plates and legally restricted from driving between the hours of 11pm and 5am when police found him driving at 4am on March 6.
Police noticed an open container of Bundaberg rum and cola in the cupholder of the Ford Fairlane and breathalysed Watts.
He returned a reading of 0.12 BAC.
Watts pleaded guilty in Mackay Magistrates Court to drink-driving, driving in restricted hours and drinking liquor while driving.
Watts told the court he made the wrong choice that night.
Magistrate Damien Dwyer commented on Watts’ reading.
“It’s twice something that’s available on somebody with an open licence, you are on a provisional licence with a zero limit,” Mr Dwyer said.
Watts was disqualified from driving for six months and fined $1000.
No conviction was recorded.
William Alfred Ghee
An unemployed 38-year-old man cannot drive for the next three months after he was busted drink-driving the morning after he knocked back a few beers.
Mackay Magistrates Court heard William Alfred Ghee had 10 stubbies the night before.
He was driving on Slade Point Rd about 8am on March 6, 2022 when he was involved in a minor crash.
Checks revealed his blood alcohol reading was 0.082 per cent.
Ghee pleaded guilty to low range drink-driving. The court heard he was his second drink driving offence but the first on had occurred two decades before.
Ghee was fined $500 and disqualified from driving for three months. A conviction was not recorded.
Glenn Douglas Stehbens
Police spotted Glen Douglas Stehbens trying to conceal something in the passenger side area of his vehicle when he was pulled over for an RBT.
It was an open can of booze that he had been drinking while he was driving on Goldsmith St on January 20, 2022.
Mackay Magistrates Court heard the 53 year old admitted to police he did not have a licence before he returned a roadside drug test positive for marijuana.
In fact, his licence had expired in August 2019 and he had prior accumulative points disqualifications in October 2017.
“He had never attempted to apply for his licence and as such has remained unlicensed,” prosecutor Harry Coburn said.
The court heard Stehbens had just bought some food from a shop. Self represented, he pleaded guilty to driving while a relevant drug was present in his blood or saliva.
“I was in the process of getting my learners,” he told the court.
Stehbens was fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for four months.
Convictions were not recorded.
Quinlen Stephen Adams
A 23 year old who had already lost 14 demerit points in his short driving career was caught veering off the wrong side of the road while nearly four times the limit.
Quinlen Stephen Adams had two other people in the car when police pulled him over at 1.20am on the Peak Downs Highway near the Moranbah BP on October 17, 2021.
Adams blew 0.195 and was arrested for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and driving drunk.
The 23 year old initially pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea to guilty in Mackay Magistrates Court on March 28, 2022.
The court heard he had received a ticket for driving without due care and attention on August 21, 2021.
Adams said his life had been in “turmoil” at the time of the incident and he had been using alcohol to self medicate.
Magistrate Damien Dwyer reminded Adams of the dangers of driving, pointing to recent fatal crashes on Mackay roads.
“He’s just had a due care and attention [ticket] and he’s driving like an idiot,” Mr Dwyer said.
Adams had not had his licence since he was caught in October.
He was disqualified from driving for a further 12 months and fined $1500.
No conviction was recorded.
Blake Stephen Harvey
A 27 year old was told he was “old enough to know better” after he was busted driving with meth in his system.
Blake Stephen Harvey was stopped at Mount Pleasant on November 11, 2021 for a random test.
Mackay Magistrates Court heard he told police he had recently used drugs including smoking meth.
Harvey also failed to appear in court on February 7, 20222. The court heard he had thought it was a different date.
He pleaded guilty to drug driving on Norris Rd and failed to appear.
Magistrate Damien Dwyer said Harvey was “old enough to know better”.
He was fined $800 and disqualified from driving for four months.
A conviction was not recorded.
Corey Edward Spratt
A truck driver is likely to lose his job after a night of drinking caught him on the wrong side of the law.
Corey Edward Spratt told police he had drunk Great Northerns and scotch dries at a licensed premise in Mackay when they pulled him over at 4am on January 30.
Mackay Magistrates Court heard Spratt had been on a provisional licence, meaning he was restricted from driving between 11pm and 5am when they caught him driving on Gregory St, Mackay.
Spratt blew a reading of 0.065 BAC.
He pleaded guilty on March 29 to drink-driving and driving in restricted hours.
Spratt told the court he was a truck driver, but was likely to lose his job after he lost his licence.
Magistrate Damien Dwyer said if Spratt had an open licence he could accept it was a mistake.
Spratt was disqualified from driving for four months and fined $750.
No conviction was recorded.
Brooke Taylah Collins
A housekeeper has been banned from driving for four months after she drove with meth in her system in front of police.
Officers were executing a search warrant at an Andergrove unit when Brooke Tayla Collins returned home and parked on the road.
Mackay Magistrates Court heard it was about 5.45pm on February 6, 2022.
She walked inside the unit and was detained under the search warrant.
Prosecutor Harry Coburn said Collins told police she had used meth two days before.
A roadside drug test revealed she had meth in her system.
Self represented, she pleaded guilty to driving while a relevant drug was present in her blood or saliva.
She was fined $500 and disqualified for four months.
A conviction was not recorded.
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