Casey Shannon Henningsen and Alex Michael Hippi plead guilty to disqualified driving with cannabis in system

The pair were given a judicial berating by the magistrate after pleading guilty to drug driving while disqualified. Judge’s comments here:

Two men with “shocking” traffic records have been berated by a Toowoomba magistrate after pleading guilty in separate hearings to drug driving and disqualified driving offences.

Casey Shannon Henningsen, 35, had been pulled over by police while driving on the Warrego Highway near Gatton on October 12, 2023, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard on Monday, January 8.

Henningsen, who had a 12-page traffic record, told police he was aware his licence was disqualified and he was driving from work to see his girlfriend, police prosecutor Kinsley Weir told the court.

Casey Shannon Henningsen leaves Toowoomba Courthouse after being sentenced on January 8, 2024.

When a roadside drug test proved positive, Henningsen’s saliva was further analysed and found to contain cannabis and checks of his driving record showed he had been disqualified from driving by court order, she said.

Senior Constable Weir said Henningsen had previous disqualified driving, drink driving, and speeding convictions and he had been sentenced for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle in the past for which he had spent some time in jail.

* Alex Michael Hippi, 43, was pulled over by police while driving on Bamboo Court, Darling Heights, about 11.30am, November 28, Snr Const. Weir said.

Hippi also tested positive for cannabis and checks revealed he had been disqualified from driving for two and a half years after pleading guilty to similar charges in May 2022, she said.

Acting Magistrate Patricia Kirkman-Scroope berated both men for treating the court and other road users with contempt and continuing to drive when ordered off the roads by the court.

Alex Michael Hippi (left) and Casey Shannon Henningsen discuss their respective penalties after being sentenced in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on January 8, 2024.

“You’re a problem, you’re a pest behind the wheel and you shouldn’t be behind the wheel when you’re disqualified,” she told Henningsen.

“No wonder the road toll is as it is when there’s people like you out on the road who just couldn’t give a toss about court orders.

“It just shows a complete disregard and lack of respect not even just for the court but for other road users.

“People don’t realise when you make these stupid decisions, the effect of that decision, you

think selfishly.”

Ms Kirkman-Scroope sentenced Henningsen to six months’ jail, wholly suspended for 18 months, fined him $750 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two and a half years.

Hippi was sentenced to three months in jail, wholly suspended for 12 months, and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two and a half years.

Originally published as Casey Shannon Henningsen and Alex Michael Hippi plead guilty to disqualified driving with cannabis in system