Callum Alexander Buntak faces Stanthorpe Magistrates Court for two hour dangerous driving spree

A Stanthorpe man went on a two hour dangerous driving spree, almost colliding with a car carrying a woman and her three kids, the same day he got his licence back from a previous suspension.

A Stanthorpe man who went on a two hour dangerous driving spree throughout the town had just got his licence back that day, a court has been told.

Callum Alexander Buntak pleaded guilty to two counts of driving without due care when he appeared in Stanthorpe Magistrates Court on Wednesday, relating to an incident which took place last year.

The court was told the 24-year-old plumber went on the wild spree on August 23, the day he got his licence back after a previous period of suspension.

Defence lawyer Steve McCrohan said Buntak’s behaviour was “beyond poor” and the man “regrets his actions from that day”.

The court was told police received multiple calls during the period of offending of “dangerous driving around main streets” including “revving engine, doing burnouts and doing laps around town”.

The first driving without due care charge related to an incident around 1.30pm at a busy industrial estate on Gourlas Court, causing smoke and noise, and resulting in the car ending up on the wrong side of the road, all captured on CCTV.

About an hour later, Buntak, still on his driving spree, failed to give way to a pedestrian on Maryland St, resulting in a second driving without due care charge.

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess told the court a witness came forward and provided a statement that her and her children were almost hit by Buntak as he drove recklessly throughout Stanthorpe during school collection time.

“She feared the safety of her and her three children who were in the car with her, and she had to take action to prevent a crash,” she said.

“This is a very strange way to celebrate the return of your drivers licence, by doing two hours of intentional driving that would just about guarantee you were going to throw your licence away again.”

Ms Sturgess revealed to the court Buntak lost his licence originally for driving with relevant drugs present and labelled his previous traffic history “a concern”.

“If you’re in a bad mood or an emotional state, the last thing you should do is get behind the wheel of the car and take your frustrations out on the streets of Stanthorpe, this isn’t a momentary lapse, this is significant, intentional episode of driving,” she said.

Buntak received a $1200 fine and received a two month suspension from driving.