Nicholas Ryan Barkle pleads guilty to driving without licence, drink driving

A 31-year-old Burnett man who a court heard was repeatedly “making a choice” of drinking and getting behind the wheel won’t be able to drive his young family around any time soon.

Nicholas Ryan Barkle was sentenced at Murgon Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

The extensive criminal history and repeat offending of a soon-to-be dad was a factor in his sentencing at Murgon Magistrates Court this week.

Nicholas Ryan Barkle pleaded guilty to one count of mid-range drink driving and one count of driving without a licence.

Barkle was driving a car in Murgon on December 10, 2023 when he was pulled over by police.

It was discovered he didn’t hold a valid driver's licence and a breath test returned a reading of .105.

Police prosecutor Barry Stevens told the court Barkle had five unlicensed driving charges in his history, one charge of driving while disqualified and previously received a suspended term of imprisonment for a separate offence.

Sergeant Stevens said Barkle’s last drink driving charge was a high reading of .207.

“He has five pages of history and has been given various parole and probation which he breached,” Sgt Stevens said.

“This is a person who’s making a choice of consuming an excess amount of alcohol and driving.”

Nicholas Ryan Barkle was sentenced at Murgon Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Sgt Stevens told the court he didn’t think probation would be effective.

“With his history of breaching probation, I don’t believe that is viable,” he said.

Magistrate Andrew Sinclair said there were three options he was considering.

“It’s either going to be a very large fine, a period of probation or a suspended sentence, that’s what the options are,” Mr Sinclair told Barkle who replied he had changed his ways, and his partner was pregnant with their child.

“I’ve changed my life massively in the last couple of years,” he told the court.

Mr Sinclair placed Barkle on a period of probation for 18 months and disqualified him from driving for the same amount of time.

Because Booth blew over the mid-range alcohol limit, Mr Sinclair told him that after the 18 months had passed, he would need to spend $2000 to fit an interlock system into any car he drove for 12 months, otherwise he would not be allowed to drive for a further five years.

An interlock device is a breath test which the driver must blow into and return a negative reading for alcohol before driving otherwise the car ignition won’t start.