Warwick’s badly behaved drivers front court - full list

From an unlicensed driver who claimed she had to drive to Macca’s while pregnant and hungry to a man busted behind the wheel despite never holding a licence, these are the dodgy drivers recently sentenced in Warwick courts. FULL LIST.

A Warwick woman busted after driving to Macca’s for a late-night feed while unlicensed, says she was forced to drive illegally because she was pregnant and hungry and had no other food.

Taylor Sutton told the Warwick Magistrates Court she had an extremely difficult relationship with her mother, who she says said “nasty and upsetting” things about her pregnancy shortly before she made the decision to drive illegally.

“I know I shouldn’t have driven but I was angry and emotional and hungry and wasn’t allowed to eat anything in the house. I had no one else to rely on that night … you can see why I had no choice to but to leave.”

The 22-year-old was stopped by police after driving out of the McDonald’s driveway about midnight on January 13.

Magistrate Julian Noud noted Sutton had “a number of previous drink driving offences”.

She pleaded guilty to disqualified driving and was taken off the road for two years and fined $750.

These were the other Warwick residents sentenced for unlicensed or disqualified driving recently:

A 37-year-old Warwick man who has never held a driver’s licence was busted behind the wheel illegally, with police later finding drug paraphernalia in his possession.

Ashley James Hafemeister was busted driving on Wallace Street on December 4. A later police search at a home on Miller Street uncovered an ice pipe and light bulbs police say was used to consume methamphetamine.

The court was told Hafemeister had a “reasonably good employment history” and was for a long time employed at John Dee.

Hafemeister pleaded guilty to unlicensed driving and possessing drug utensils or pipes.
He was fined $700 and disqualified from driving for three months.

• 
  

A Warwick dad said he “acted under the stupidity of things” when he got behind the wheel despite a court ordering him not to drive.

Jordan Christopher Robinson was busted driving along Guy Street on February 13.

The Rose City Fruits worker said there was no excuse for his decision to drive the car he was trying to get running properly, but said he was working on making himself a better community member for his young family.

Robinson pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified, and driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle.
He was banned from driving for two years and fined $991.

• 
  

A man who was previously given a jail sentence for disqualified driving has again been nabbed flouting the law.

James Charles Betteridge told the Warwick court he had no idea he was suspended when police stopped him on Palmerin Street in February.

The single dad told the court he was currently unemployed after losing his job due to Covid.

Magistrate Julian Noud noted Betteridge had a “long traffic record that shows a disregard for traffic rules”.

Betteridge pleaded guilty to driving unlicensed, and was disqualified from driving for six months and fined $550.

• 
  

A Warwick teenager claimed he had no recollection of doing burnouts up and down a busy road, despite several eyewitnesses reporting him to police.

Benjamin Khan James Wilkinson was spotted hooning in both directions on Horsman Rd at about 2pm on February 19, with nearby residents identifying the 19-year-old and his blue Ford Falcon.

Benjamin Khan James Wilkinson, 19. Picture: Facebook

Police prosecutor Steve de Lissa said officers soon caught up with Wilkinson, who said he had no memory of the burnouts and then refused to answer any further questions.

The self-represented Wilkinson told the Warwick court he “was just having a really bad day” and had recently started new antidepressants, which affected his mental state at the time.

Wilkinson pleaded guilty to one count of causing unnecessary noise or smoke and was fined $441.

No conviction was recorded.

• 
  

A hasty decision to get behind the wheel only weeks after having his licence disqualified in court has cost a Warwick resident the right to drive for more than two years.

Michael Henzkey Hou was busted on East St at Clifton on March 11, less than a month after he earned a five-month driving ban on February 20.

Sergeant de Lissa said Hou was fully aware he should not have been driving and had no reason for doing so, and earned himself another charge when he recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.037 at the scene.

Magistrate Julian Noud slammed the man’s disregard for the court-ordered disqualification, and warned he would likely face increasingly severe penalties if he continued to reoffend.

Hou pleaded guilty to one count each of disqualified driving and drink driving.

He was fined $1100 and disqualified from driving for two years and three months.