Named: Latest Yeppoon drink and drug-drivers to face court

A chartered accountant caught after an engagement party, an aged care worker, and an Oktoberfest reveller were among the latest people punished for their offending.

Seven people pleaded guilty to either drink-driving or drug-driving when they appeared in Yeppoon Magistrates Court on November 18.

Billy-Joe Ryan Siddins, 36, blew a reading of .083 when police caught him driving on Breakwater Drive, Yeppoon, at 12.50am on October 30.

A solicitor said Siddins was a chartered accountant who operated a business, in partnership, in Rockhampton.

On the night of the offending, the solicitor explained that Siddins had attended an engagement party at Yeppoon, having booked accommodation for the night at Rosslyn Bay.

“Rather than checking in, park the car, my client, because they were running late, parked in what was a boat/trailer car park close to the yacht club so they could just stroll straight in,” the solicitor said.

“Throughout the evening, he was only drinking mid-strength beers.

“The party closed down about midnight.

“My client was going to take the luggage out of the vehicle and just move it across to the accommodation where he was staying.

“But once he got to the car, it was 150m or so to the accommodation, and he felt okay, so he (decided) to drive the car to the accommodation.

“He got there, and the designated car park for the unit he was staying in was already occupied, so he and his wife unpacked the luggage.

“He left his wife there, and he just went back and parked the car on the side of the road, and it was there that the police pulled him up when he was getting out of the car.”

With no similar offending on his history, Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale fined Siddins $500 and disqualified him from driving for three months.

Dyllan Richard Lindel, 21, was caught driving with cannabis in his system when police intercepted him at Yalboroo (Mackay region), on the afternoon of September 20.

With no history, Lindel was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for two months.

He successfully applied for a restricted licence for work purposes.

Shannon Domonic Kinsella, 31, was caught drink-driving during Oktoberfest celebrations at Emu Park on October 23.

The court heard that at 10pm on that day, police were notified that Kinsella was driving on a grassed area at Bell Park.

He subsequently returned a reading of .104.

With no similar offending on his history, Kinsella was fined $650 and disqualified from driving for three months.

Christopher Jason Higgins, 49, blew a high reading of .164 after police stopped him on Braithwaite Street, Yeppoon, at 2.30am on November 6.

With one previous offence of this sort in the past five years, Higgins was fined $1100 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.

Leigh John Swebbs, 33, was caught driving the morning after drinking.

Police intercepted him at 7.40am on Farnborough Road, Yeppoon, on October 27.

He blew a reading of .109.

The court heard that Swebbs ran a business “in town” and as a result of losing his driver’s licence he would have to rely on his employees to drive him around.

With no similar offending on his history, Swebbs was fined $650 and disqualified from driving for three months.

Julie Ann Roma Sutton (Osborne), 40, had been drinking self-poured bourbons before driving at Yeppoon on the morning of October 29.

Police stopped her on Adelaide Park Road at 8.10am and she subsequently returned a reading of .080.

With no history in the past five years, Sutton was fined $500 and disqualified from driving for three months.

She was granted a restricted driver’s licence for her job as an aged care worker.

William Keith Read, 20, was unlicensed when he was caught drug-driving on Kinka Beach Road on September 26.

Read, who worked as a traffic controller until four weeks ago, had cannabis in his system.

With no traffic history, he was fined $500 and disqualified from driving for one month.