Pineapple farm worker Macauley Jay Brown banned from driving for three years

Officers received a broadcast over police radio about a vehicle “cutting off” another driver and driving erratically through “back streets” of Yeppoon. The man responsible was caught and hit with a hefty driving ban. Details here.

Macauley Jay Brown.

A Capricorn Coast man has copped a three-year driving ban after he was caught “hooning around” while drunk and disqualified by a court order.

Macauley Jay Brown, 22, pleaded guilty in Yeppoon Magistrates Court on March 17 to drink-driving and disqualified driving.

The court heard that on March 6, about 7.55pm, officers received a broadcast over police radio about a vehicle “cutting off” another driver and driving erratically through “back streets” of Yeppoon.

Police started patrols and they found the offending vehicle being driven on Matthew Flinders Drive at Cooee Bay.

Brown was the driver and Police Prosecutor Sergeant Kevin Ongheen said the 22-year-old “sped past police in the opposite direction” before it was intercepted.

When officers spoke to Brown, he was not able to produce a driver’s licence and he said he did not have a current one.

Police checks revealed that Brown had his driver’s licence disqualified in court for four months (until March 24, 2022).

Macauley Jay Brown.

After a random breath test, Brown returned a blood alcohol reading of .116.

The court heard that this was Brown’s third drink-driving offence since August, 2018.

Representing himself in court, Brown, a pineapple farm worker, told Magistrate Cameron Press that he had nowhere to live, had been “couch surfing” for the past six months, and had turned to alcohol due to “going through a bad time in my life.”

Mr Press told Brown that he was “very close to going to jail.”

“The (blood alcohol) readings are actually getting higher,” Mr Press said.

“And they are getting more dangerous.

“You were hooning around, cutting people off, driving at speed. It necessitated a member of the public phoning the police.”

Mr Press said he was going to give Brown an opportunity to address his alcohol addiction.

He placed Brown on 18 months’ probation with conditions including a requirement to attend alcohol counselling.

Mr Press disqualified Brown from driving for three years and also fined him $800.