Yol Simon Mayuot Mareng pleads guilty in Toowoomba Magistrates Court to dangerous operation of a vehicle while drunk, multiple counts of shoplifting

A magistrate has told a 20-year-old Toowoomba man to ‘get off the booze’ after he was involved in a serious crash while drunk behind the wheel.

A Toowoomba man who was drunk behind the wheel when he crashed through a fence and into a tree, seriously injuring his passenger, has been told by a magistrate to get off the booze, otherwise his family would be visiting him in jail.

Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told on Tuesday that police responded to a crash about 11.10pm on November 18, 2021 after they heard a loud skid, bang and an engine revving while patrolling on Hill Street.

After arriving at the incident on Herries Street police found a vehicle on the side of the road that had crashed through a fence and into a tree, police prosecutor Anita Page said.

Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics were talking to the driver, Yol Simon Mayuot Mareng, when police arrived, with officers locating an empty bottle of Captain Morgan near the driver’s side door.

When police arrived the court was told the then 19-year-old tried to get into the vehicle again and revved the engine but was told to get out.

Ms Page said Mareng confirmed to police that the vehicle was his and that he had been driving at the time of the crash, telling the officers “I f---ed up”.

The passenger in the vehicle suffered a number of injuries as a result of the crash, including broken front teeth and suspected broken nose and cheek, and that as a result of the crash had lost movement in his feet for a number of months.

Ms Page said Mareng returned a positive breath test roadside, and returned a reading of 0.219.

The court was told Mareng was also one of five people to break into the Stephen Street Store on November 30, 2021, and had shoplifted bottles of alcohol from BWS Grand Central on February 7 2022 and the Newtown Hotel on February 19.

In court on Tuesday Mareng pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance, two counts of unauthorised dealing with shop goods and entering a premises and committing an indictable offence by break.

Mareng’s solicitor Claire Graham said her client was born in Kenyan refugee camp and had arrived in Australia 15 years ago.

Leaving Centenary Heights State High School in Year 11, Ms Graham said Mareng worked in tiling and rendering, and had a Certificate II in construction.

The court was told Mareng was drinking “excessively every day” at the time of the dangerous operation offence, and that he “doesn’t make any excuses” for his conduct.

“He knows he made the wrong decision,” Ms Graham said.

Magistrate Gary Finger said it was “lucky he was still with us”.

“This is the last chance saloon for you,” he said.

“If you come back here again, the court will be thinking about sending you to prison. If you come back here again, your siblings and your mother will be visiting you in prison. Start waking up to yourself and get off the booze.”

Mareng was sentenced to a two year probation order, fined $300 referred to SPER and disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for 12 months. Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Yol Simon Mayuot Mareng pleads guilty in Toowoomba Magistrates Court to dangerous operation of a vehicle while drunk, multiple counts of shoplifting