NAMED: Warwick drink, drug drivers front court - full list

From a man busted driving down a major route at more than three times the legal alcohol limit to a P-plater already on his second drug driving conviction, these are the residents recently sentenced in court for drink or drug driving.

A man caught behind the wheel at more than three times the legal alcohol limit who claimed his offending driven by emotional distress was just one of the residents recently sentenced for drink or drug driving

Police received reports from concerned members of the public about Michael Gregory Duggan’s driving along Warwick Killarney Rd on March 14, saying he was veering off the side of the road.

Officers noticed the 37-year-old was slurring his speech and unsteady on his feet while being interviewed, with Duggan then recording a BAC of 0.156 at the scene and having his licence immediately suspended.

The Warwick court heard Duggan was struggling with mental health at the time and had been to see his specialist just prior to the offending, with the veterinarian again contacting his counsellor after being pulled over.

Duggan pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence of liquor.

He was fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for six months. No conviction was recorded.

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A father of two has acknowledged he “should have known better” after he was caught drug driving.

Karl William Wilson was nabbed on Lock St, Stanthorpe on March 30, testing positive to meth and marijuana in his system.

Defence lawyer Hamish Chapman told Stanthorpe Magistrates Court that the 31-year-old was dealing with his brother’s death and the siblings used to smoke marijuana together, but the memory was now too painful and had driven Wilson to give up using.

Wilson pleaded guilty to drug driving. He was fined $200 and disqualified from driving for one month.

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A Warwick man busted behind the wheel at more than twice the legal limit now faces three months off the roads.

Bradley James Baker was pulled over on Stern St on June 5, where he recorded a BAC of 0.107.

The 45-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of drink driving and was also fined $600.

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A Warwick mother caught with drugs in her system while supervising a learner driver has been warned she needs to choose between her drug use and being able to drive.

Chantelle Doris Heathcote was a passenger in a car pulled over on Freestone Rd on March 18, testing positive at the scene with later results showing marijuana in her system.

Police prosecutor Andrew Grafton said the 29-year-old told officers she had smoked marijuana and taken hemp oil in the days prior to being nabbed, but claimed she did not know it would land her in trouble.

The Warwick court heard Heathcote had been convicted of drug driving, dangerous driving, and unlicensed driving since 2016,

Defence lawyer Clare Hine said the Warwick woman had two children aged 10 and seven, with the eldest suffering from brittle bone syndrome, a condition that affected his entire body and required Heathcote to provide a high level of care.

She said Heathcote also battled mental health concerns of her own, including borderline personality disorder and obsessive compulsive order, and took marijuana or its derivative products because she believed prescription medication caused cancer.

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess told the Warwick mother her concerning driving history did not weigh in her favour.

“You really need to make a choice between taking the cannabis oil and driving, or at least know how much time you should leave before driving,” she said.

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

She was fined $300 and disqualified from driving for one month.

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Neil John Hawkins caught a lucky break when he was granted a work licence after being busted driving at more than twice the legal limit.

The Warwick man was pulled over on Victoria St on June 18, recording a BAC of 0.11.

Defence lawyer Clare Hine told the court the 51-year-old was a self-employed plumber by trade, and would be put under extreme financial strain if he was unable to drive himself to jobs.

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess warned Hawkins that he should have been well-aware he had consumed too much alcohol to get behind the wheel, but approved his work licence application.

Hawkins pleaded guilty to one count of drink driving. He was fined $750 and disqualified from driving for six months.

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A repeat drug driver who committed his latest offence while also on probation has been told he will only lose his licence for longer periods if he continues to reoffend.

Benjamin Khan James Wilkinson, 19, was busted by police on Jackie Howe Dr on May 2, testing positive to marijuana in his system.

The Warwick court heard P-plater had only been convicted of drug driving in March last year, and was on probation for unrelated offending at the time of this latest brush with the law.

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

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Sarah Louise Handley was disqualified from driving for a month after being caught driving with marijuana in her system.

The P-plater was nabbed on Guy St on May 7, where she tested positive to the drug.

The 33-year-old told the court it was a “silly choice” and “lapse in judgment”, saying she was a hard worker who would not usually risk her licence.

She pleaded guilty to drug driving and was also fined $200.

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Shane John Spies was taken off the roads for a month after he pleaded guilty to drug driving in the Warwick court.

He was busted on Dragon St on May 2, with later testing revealing marijuana in his system.

The self-represented Warwick man told the court he had smoked the drug while at a friend’s party and thought he had left it long enough to drive safely.

“I have a higher respect for my licence than this, I always have and I haven’t lost it before,” he said.

Spies was also fined $250.