EXPOSED: Warwick drink/drug drivers sentenced in court - full list

From a Warwick man busted at almost three times the alcohol limit to a serial drug driver nabbed with ice and ecstasy in his system, these were the residents sentenced in court for drink/drug driving. FULL LIST HERE:

A Warwick man who threatened police after he was nabbed driving while almost three times the legal alcohol limit was just one of the residents sentenced in court recently for drink or drug driving.

Matthew Graham Foster was pulled over for a random breath test on Pratten St on May 10, where he told officers he had only just finished a drink before getting behind the wheel and would need to wait 20 minutes before being tested.

Police prosecutor Andrew Grafton told Warwick Magistrates Court that the 41-year-old became argumentative towards police and threatened to harm officers, eventually needing to be handcuffed for everyone’s safety.

The man then recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.144 at the scene.

Foster claimed he was distressed because he had a puppy sitting in the back of his car, which he was desperate to free from the vehicle while he waited out the delay.

The Warwick man said he had undergone surgery to have eight teeth removed a few days prior to the incident and was also taking antidepressants, which proved a dangerous cocktail when mixed with the alcohol he consumed.

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess handed down a stern warning during her sentencing, telling Foster his huge reading was well above any error of judgment and he should have known he was too intoxicated to drive.

“Whatever else was going on, Mr Foster, clearly you should have been well aware that you should not have been driving,” she said.

Foster pleaded guilty to one count each of drink driving and obstructing police.

He was fined $600 and disqualified from driving for four months.

These were the other residents recently sentenced in the Warwick court:

CONVICTIONS RECORDED

A Warwick man has been busted drug driving for the fifth time after police found him behind the wheel with meth and ecstasy in his system.

Jaime John Abbas was nabbed driving along Wood St in February with ice and ecstasy in his system, and then just two weeks later was found on Affinity Drive with ice in his system.

Ms Sturgess told the Warwick man it was clear he was battling drug issues and warned he was facing tough penalties for again flouting the law.

“To put it bluntly, Mr Abbas, you are in quite a deal of pain today,” Ms Sturgess said.

Jaime John Abbas was recently sentenced for drug driving in Warwick Magistrates Court. Picture: social media

“This is charges four and five for you and the starting point today for each of these offences is six months (disqualification) and they are going to have to add together.”

The court was told Abbas had shown positive steps toward dealing with a drug problem after he was convicted of supplying meth and placed on probation.

The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of drug driving and was fined $800 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.

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A repeat drug driver busted behind the wheel while still serving the disqualification handed down at her previous court date has been warned a jail sentence will soon be on the cards if she continues to break the law.

Layla-Rose Wolfenden was busted driving with marijuana in her system and a disqualified licence at Rosenthal Heights on May 1.

The Warwick court heard the run-in with police came less than two weeks before the 24-year-old would have got her licence back following her first drug driving conviction earlier this year.

A self-represented Wolfenden said she was disappointed in herself for her decisions that day, which were driven by a downwards spiral in her mental health.

“I’m very remorseful for that, I am sorry for putting other people in danger, (but) it doesn’t excuse me whatsoever and I’m prepared to take the consequences,” she said.

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess warned the mother of two those consequences would escalate from fines to a jail term if she chose to drive while disqualified in the future, as it was a serious offence that now joined two drug driving convictions on her traffic history.

Wolfenden pleaded guilty to one count each of drug and disqualified driving.

She was fined $600 and disqualified from driving for two years and three months.

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A Berat mum told a court she works hard and doesn’t go out, drink or annoy people, after being busted drug driving without a licence.

Maree Elizabeth Chandler was found driving on Condamine St, with tests later showing she had meth and marijuana in her system.

The mum-of-five told the court she has ongoing mental health struggles after the devastating loss of her daughter and a best friend within a month of each other.

Chandler pleaded guilty to drug driving and unlicensed driving as a repeat offender.

She was fined $400 and disqualified from driving for four months.

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A Killarney woman fronted the magistrate after being busted driving with ice in her system and a dirty syringe in her handbag.

Amanda McKay was stopped by police on Wood St in March and allowed police to search her vehicle and offering up the used syringe.

The 48-year-old told the court she had a long history of drug abuse but “hardly ever” uses any more. She said a recent toe removal sent her back onto the wrong path.

“It was a stupid error of judgment on my behalf. I try not to drive when I am using drugs and it had been a couple of days so I didn’t think it would be in my system,” she said.

McKay pleaded guilty to drug driving and failing to dispose of a syringe and was fined $600 and disqualified for three months.

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A man with a five-page traffic history including repeated drink driving offences has been granted a work licence after being busted drink driving again.

Brent Andrew Humphries was stopped on the New England Highway at the Glen in January, where he recorded a BAC of 0.071.

The now 36-year-old said he had worked hard to turn his life around after a string of convictions, including drink driving offences in 2011, 2010 and 2009.

Humphries told the court he was the sole carer to his three children following his long-term partner’s death and he was focused on keeping his family together.

Ms Sturgess told the Wallangarra man he was “on the border” of having his work licence application denied and said if the police prosecution would have opposed it, she would likely have agreed with them.

Humphries was fined $400 and disqualified from driving for four months, but the work licence was granted.

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Richard William Winn was taken off the roads for three months after he was caught behind the wheel with meth and marijuana in his system.

The Warwick man was nabbed while driving on Wood St at about 3.15pm on April 9.

The court heard Winn had been convicted of the same offence in both 2015 and 2021, with magistrate Virginia Sturgess urging the man to learn his lesson from this third court appearance.

Winn pleaded guilty to one count of drug driving and was also fined $400.

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A serial drug driver who racked up several charges in just a few days has claimed this latest spate of offending has been the catalyst to turn his life around.

Daniel Morgan Arnold was first pulled over on Jackie Howe Drive on April 4, with police searching his vehicle at the scene and uncovering a pair of scissors with marijuana residue stashed inside.

Police prosecutor Steve de Lissa said it was only a few days later on April 8 that the 22-year-old was again nabbed, this time testing positive to having marijuana in his system.

Officers again searched Arnold’s vehicle and found a bong hidden in the glovebox.

Sergeant de Lissa said this was the third time the Warwick man had fronted court for drug driving in the past five years.

Arnold told the court he was working full-time and had quit drugs completely, wanting to focus on progressing beyond his P1 licence and moving his life forward.

He pleaded guilty to one count of drug driving and two counts of possessing drug utensils.

The Warwick man was fined $500 and disqualified from driving for six months. Only traffic convictions were recorded.

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Mathew George Abbott was disqualified from driving for three months after pleading guilty to drug driving.

Abbott was busted on Warwick Allora Rd at about 2.30pm on February 7, where he tested positive to both meth and marijuana in his system.

The self-represented man told the court he had lost his licence on a few occasions throughout his life and previously struggled with a drug problem, but now saw the substances as “just something you do when you go out”.

Abbott pleaded guilty to one count of drug driving and was also fined $400.

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A Warwick woman caught behind the wheel with meth and marijuana in her system has been urged to address her drug use before it lands her in court again.

Catherine Anne Hammond was caught on Rosehill Rd at 11.05am on April 6, where she tested positive to both drugs in her system.

The self-represented 44-year-old said she was now seeing a doctor in an attempt to curb her drug habit.

Hammon pleaded guilty to one count of drug driving. She was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for three months.

LEARNERS AND P-PLATERS

A learner driver caught behind the wheel with drugs in his system has been warned he needs to take the responsibility of driving seriously if he wants to be behind the wheel unsupervised.

Tyrone Michael Thomas Hippi was busted by police on Guy St on April 16, where he tested positive to marijuana in his system.

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess told the 20-year-old using drugs before driving was a sure way to hinder his driving progress.

“If you need your licence, or you need your learner’s licence and you want to progress, you’ve got to take a lot of care about drug use to keep your driver’s licence,” she said.

Hippi pleaded guilty to one count of drug driving. He was fined $150 and disqualified from driving for three months.

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Crashing his car while driving unsupervised and over the legal alcohol limit earned a learner driver a four-month disqualification period when he faced court.

Police were called to the scene of the crash on Warwick Allora Rd at 11.45am on April 9, where they found an intoxicated Eduardo Tomaz Batista.

Warwick Magistrates Court heard Batista recorded a BAC of 0.088 at the time, well above the zero-alcohol limit mandated for learner drivers.

Batista pleaded guilty to one count each of drink driving and driving unsupervised. He was fined $750.

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Driving the day after a big night out landed P-plater Bailey Rutledge in the Warwick court.

Police prosecutor Andrew Grafton said the 18-year-old was nabbed at about 8pm on May 6 and recorded a BAC of 0.041 at the scene, telling officers he had consumed several rum and cokes the night before.

The self-represented Warwick teenager apologised to the court for his actions and promised it would not happen again, with his father supporting him from the courtroom gallery.

Rutledge pleaded guilty to one count of drink driving. He was fined $300 and disqualified from driving for three months.

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P-plater Kitana-Lee Barrett had her own licence disqualified for three months after she was busted supervising a learner driver with drugs in her system.

Police prosecutor Andrew Grafton said the Warwick woman was busted in the passenger seat with marijuana in her system, telling officers at the scene that she thought she was qualified to oversee the less-experienced driver.

Barrett pleaded guilty to one count of being in charge of a vehicle with drugs in her system.

She was fined $150 and disqualified from driving for three months.

ALSO IN THE COURTS

Peter Griffiths-Stait’s decision to get in his car less than 24 hours after smoking marijuana ended in a court date.

The Warwick man was pulled over on Wallace St just before 5.30pm on April 9, where he tested positive to the drug in his system.

The self-represented man told the court he used marijuana to relieve chronic pain from five damaged vertebrae, and thought the time he left between smoking it and driving would be sufficient.

Griffiths-Stait pleaded guilty to one count of drug driving. He was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for one month.

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Chaz Alexander Bagster was disqualified from driving for a month after he was busted drink driving.

The Warwick man recorded a BAC of 0.063 when he was pulled over by police on Victoria St on April 28.

Chaz Alexander Bagster was sentenced for drink driving in Warwick Magistrates Court this week. Picture: file

Bagster pleaded guilty to drink driving and was also fined $350.

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Driving after using drugs during a night out with friends earned Jolene Heidi Spies a date with the Warwick magistrate.

She was busted while driving on Wallace St on April 4, where she tested positive to marijuana in her system.

Spies told the court she was not a regular drug user, and on this occasion had smoked the drug during a big night with friends after finding out another of their mates had been diagnosed with cancer.

The Warwick woman pleaded guilty to drug driving. She was fined $150 and disqualified from driving for one month.

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Philip Brian Weir faced the Warwick court after he was busted behind the wheel with marijuana in his system.

He was pulled over police on Wallace St on March 18, testing positive to the drug at the scene.

The self-represented Weir told the court he was a grey nomad and used marijuana for medicinal reasons.

Weir pleaded guilty to one count of drug driving. He was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for one month.

NO CONVICTION RECORDED

Anne Margaret Campbell was taken off the roads for one month after pleading guilty to drug driving in the Warwick court.

The 58-year-old was nabbed on Wallace St just after 4pm on April 6, where she tested positive to marijuana in her system.

The court heard the woman’s use of the drug was twofold, both as a treatment for the chronic pain she suffered as a result of a back injury and to cope with the stress of her recent divorce and property settlement.

Campbell was fined $150 and no conviction was recorded.