Stephen John Qualischefski cops fine in Toowoomba Magistrates Court for driving without due care and attention

A 45-year-old managed to worked a SPER debt of $35,000 down to $4000, but his manner of driving saw the court add to his debt again. See why here.

A 45-year-old man who told a Toowoomba court he had whittled down his SPER debt from $35,000 to $4000 has had another $1000 added to it after pleading guilty to more offences.

“Only $4000,” Stephen John Qualischefski told magistrate Kay Philipson when she asked “how’s your SPER debt?” when he appeared in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Friday.

“Only $4000?” Ms Philipson shot back.

“Well, it was $35,000,” Qualischefski said.

Qualischefski pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention and to disqualified driving arising from incidents at The Spit recreation grounds at Somerset Dam on March 18.

Stephen John Qualischefski walks from Toowoomba Magistrates Court on July 14, 2023, have had another $1000 added to his SPER debt by a magistrate.

Police had been called to the site following a report from a man who said a male aged between 40 and 50 had been recklessly driving a white utility that almost struck his five-year-old daughter, police prosecutor Leea Trewin told the court.

Qualischefski told police he had been reversing while driving back from the toilets at the park when he got stuck in mud, Sergeant Trewin said.

A check of his driver’s licence found Qualischefski was disqualified from driving at the time and that he could have had his partner seated beside him drive the vehicle, she said.

The self-represented Qualischefski told Ms Philipson he had been going through a stressful period at the time and that he had just been released from hospital.

“If you had have hit the child you would have been in a different situation,” Ms Philipson warned him.

“I would be speaking to you on the (video) screen because you’d be in custody.

“If you drive again you may be looking at jail time.”

Ms Philipson fined Qualischefski $1000, which was referred to SPER, and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for the mandatory minimum period of two years.

Originally published as Stephen John Qualischefski cops fine in Toowoomba Magistrates Court for driving without due care and attention