Jairohne James Herby Nowlan pleads guilty to driving disqualified in Maroochydore
A court has heard how a drive to a Sunshine Coast tavern led to a young council worker spending more than two months in prison.
Police & Courts
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A court has heard how a Moreton Bay man found himself in custody after offering to drive his sister to Maroochydore after she fell asleep at the wheel.
What police later discovered however was Jairohne James Herby Nowlan, 26, had a disqualified licence when he was intercepted by officers late last year.
Maroochydore Magistrates Court heard last week how he racked up multiple offences in one night after he pleaded guilty to six charges including driving while disqualified, possessing dangerous drugs and drug driving.
Police prosecutor Val Crossley said all six charges occurred on November 15, 2024 when he was pulled over along Duporth Ave.
Licence checks revealed the Lawnton man was barred from driving by Caboolture Magistrates Court for two years on June 21, 2024.
Senior Sergeant Crossley said Nowlan was also handed a nine-month jail sentence with a parole eligibility date for driving disqualified, with these offences occurring while he was on parole.
Further investigations revealed the car was uninsured and unregistered, and a tab of LSD also found. Nowlan was drug tested and returned a positive result to a relevant drug.
The 26-year-old was taken into custody on January 4 as he breached his parole, and he spent 75 days on remand until his sentencing hearing last week.
Defence solicitor Farah Haddad claimed there was context for Nowlan getting behind the wheel late last year, despite being disqualified by a court order.
The court was told the Lawnton man’s sister was driving that night however was allegedly falling asleep behind the wheel.
Mr Haddad said Nowlan decided to drive as he felt unsafe and could not leave the car on the motorway with there being nowhere to park.
“He didn’t just drive it off the motorway, he drove it all the way into Duporth Ave to go to some other bar,” magistrate Chris Callaghan said sceptically.
The solicitor said the 26-year-old former council labourer, who had a young son, came from a prejudicial upbringing but no longer wanted to be a part of the “old lifestyle” of drugs.
He was in the process of moving to the Sunshine Coast to do this when he ended up in custody. He hoped to go to rehab after he was released.
Mr Callaghan plainly told Nowlan his “big problem” was continuing to drive disqualified, combing through entries on his criminal entry back in April and July in 2023.
“You shouldn’t have been driving no matter what, there were other things you could’ve done,” he told Nowlan.
“If you were concerned about safely parking the vehicle on the side of the M1 you could’ve simply driven off the M1 and parked it there. But no, you drove it on and on and on into Maroochydore to go to some tavern.”
Nowlan was jailed for 12 months, with 75 days time served, he will be eligible for parole on May 3.
He was also disqualified from driving for two years and nine months.
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