Central Qld mine employee Maxwell Gregory Maynard crashes work truck into church while drunk

Friday night drinks with workmates at the pub ended up proving extremely costly for a mine worker when he drove a work truck after consuming 10 to 15 heavy beers - not to get home, but to get back to the pub. Here’s what happened to him in court.

A Central Queensland man crashed a work truck into a church fence. Generic image.

A Central Queensland mine worker has lost his job after crashing a work truck into a church fence while drunk.

Maxwell Gregory Maynard, 24, pleaded guilty in Biloela Magistrates Court on June 8 to high-range drink driving.

Police prosecutor Stacey Bain said about 10.50pm on May 20, police were called to a church at the corner of Bell Street and the Dawson Highway, Moura, where a small truck had been driven into a fence.

Ms Bain said when police arrived they saw the truck wedged between a tree and the church fence.

“Police observed the vehicle to have damage to the front, and (Maynard) standing next to the vehicle,” Ms Bain said.

The prosecutor said when Maynard was questioned, he told police that he had driven the truck from Moura Caravan Park where he was residing, and was on his way to the Moura Tavern where he had been drinking earlier.

Maynard said the reason for going back to the tavern was to look for his mobile phone.

After a roadside breath test, Maynard returned a blood alcohol reading of .170.

The court heard Maynard had no similar offending on his traffic history.

Solicitor Madison Kurtz tendered several references for Maynard.

Ms Kurtz said Maynard lived at Yeppoon and he was a trade qualified plumber who was working at a mine.

“Unfortunately due to this incident, he has lost that employment,” Ms Kurtz said.

“He was completing works at the mine camp out at Moura as part of that employment at the time of the offence.

“He was with that employer almost two years.”

Ms Kurtz said on the night of the incident, Maynard had been drinking with workmates at the pub “as part of their usual Friday night drinks”.

“He instructs that he had approximately 10 to 15 heavy VB beers,” Ms Kurtz said.

“At the end of the night, he and the group were driven back to their accommodation by another person.

“However he realised that he had forgotten his phone and he made the stupid decision to go back to the pub and get it.

“He acknowledges that he’s very lucky that no-one got hurt and he’s very remorseful for his actions.”

Ms Kurtz said Maynard did not have any issues with drugs or alcohol and this offence was totally out of character for him.

Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale commented on the submission that Maynard did not have any issues with alcohol.

“Let’s label it what it is - 10 to 15 beers is binge drinking,” she said.

“It’s a disaster for you because you’ve lost this work and you’re going to lose your (driver’s) licence... that has really turned your current world around.”

Ms Beckinsale fined Maynard $1050 and disqualified him from driving for six months.