2022’s shocking drink driving stats as hundreds boozed behind wheel
A prominent mayor, a school principal, police officers, a grandmother and a Porsche driver were among those caught drink driving across Queensland in 2022 as we reveal the worst areas in the state for offences.
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The rate at which Queensland Police are nabbing drink drivers has more than doubled since 2019 with areas in the state’s far north, as well as the Gold Coast, among the worst for recorded offences.
Road Policing Command acting Chief Superintendent Chris Stream told The Courier-Mail that the rate of drink-drivers being caught in 2022 was about 1:54, compared to about 1:110 in 2019.
The worst areas this year include Cairns, Cape York, Cassowary Coast, Gold Coast, Logan and Moreton police districts.
Meanwhile, Queensland police recorded 26,320 drink driving offences from January 1 to December 1 a rise of more than 8 per cent on the previous 12 month period.
Road safety advocate Judy Lindsay, who started a statewide awareness campaign after her daughter Hayley was killed in a car accident in 2009, said it had been a devastating year on the state’s roads.
Ms Lindsay said the prevalence of drink driving hit home when Redland mayor Karen Williams pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of liquor in Cleveland Magistrates Court in August.
Ms Williams had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.177, more than three times the legal limit, when she crashed her luxury council-owned Lexus hybrid about 8pm on June 23.
The crash was only minutes after a zoom meeting in which the mayor told Ms Lindsay how sorry she was that her daughter Hayley’s life was taken by a drink driver.
“It was only half an hour after our meeting that she went and drove drunk and crashed her car into a tree in the same community where my daughter passed away,” Ms Lindsay said.
“It’s time for drivers to take responsibility for their own actions because it is not up to the police to keep telling them to abide by the rules — and it’s unfair that police are left to clean up the carnage and destruction on our roads.”
In Queensland, high-range drink driving is the most serious drink driving offence and carries a maximum penalty of nine months’ imprisonment and/or 28 penalty units for a first offence.
■ Here is our list of 100 drink drivers for 2022, from the highest to the lowest blood alcohol concentration.
MAY: URSULA ANNE ROMYN: 0.380
Married mother-of-two Ursula Anne Romyn lost her licence for the best part of two years after police caught her driving from a Central Queensland hotel carpark while drunk.
Romyn, 44, pleaded guilty in Yeppoon Magistrates Court on May 5 to drink driving and failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis.
Sgt Ongheen said Romyn supplied a specimen of breath for a roadside test and the reading produced was .380. Romyn was taken to Yeppoon police station for a further test. Sgt Ongheen said that at 1.47am, Romyn failed to supply a specimen of breath for analysis and she was issued with a notice to appear in court. Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale said “You can literally die from that amount of alcohol” and said Romyn’s offending was compounded by her being uncooperative with police. She fined Romyn $1500 and disqualified her from driving for 21 months.
JUNE: ERIN RUTH SMITHERAM: 0.379
Gold Coast chef Erin Ruth Smitheram recorded one of the highest drink-driving readings in Queensland history and was banned from the road for almost two years in June.
Smitheram, 36, pleaded guilty in Southport Magistrates Court to drink driving with an “extremely high” blood alcohol reading of 0.379. The court was told police were called about 7pm on March 23 after reports of a car swerving on The Parkway at Hope Island and hitting other vehicles.
Smitheram’s car was parked in by shopping centre security guards on Masthead Way when officers arrived. She was breath-tested and taken to the local police station where she recorded the whopping reading. Magistrate Veena Goverdhan fined Smitheram $2000 and disqualified her from driving for 22 months.
MARCH: KELLY VAN DER WESTHUIZEN 0.334
Former prefect and school sports captain Kelly van der Westhuizen shocked a magistrate when he discovered she was seven times over the legal alcohol limit when she crashed her car into a fence. The Southport Magistrate Court heard in May that van der Westhuizen was swerving uncontrollably in Southport on February 7. The 29-year-old later crashed into a fence at the Southport State High School.
The psychologist was taken to hospital for head injuries where she recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.334. Magistrate Mark Howden said he was surprised the reading didn’t cause van der Westhuizen to pass out.
“I still don’t understand, despite the submission of evidence, how this can occur,” he said.
“We rarely see readings that high.” The court heard the incident was out of character for van der Westhuizen, who was a mental health service facilitator. Magistrate Howden fined van der Westhuizen $2000 and suspended her from driving for 16 months.
DECEMBER: HERMIT PARK WOMAN 0.293
A Hermit Park woman was fined $1500 and banned from the roads for 15 months after a blood alcohol reading of 0.293. Vision of the 39-year-old woman’s arrest earlier this year was released as Queensland Police launch Operation Charger – an annual road safety enforcement operation. Acting Chief Superintendent Chris Stream said the operation was after more than 279 people died on Queensland roads this year. The horrifying figure is 11 more than the same period last year.
Operation Charger will run from midnight on Friday December 9 to midnight January 27 and will focus on drink and drug driving, speeding and restraints.
With 174,000 breath tests and 2000 drink drivers detected on the road last year, Acting Chief Superintendent Stream said they expected to conduct more this year.
NOVEMBER: CHRIS NAZARIO ZICCINO: 0.291
Former Queensland Health worker Chris Nazario Zicchino smelled of alcohol and had a blood-alcohol content of 0.291, almost six times the legal limit after he crashed into oncoming traffic on the busy Townsville Ring Rd in September. Zicchino pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of liquor and driving without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road, when he appeared before Townsville Magistrate Court’s Steven Mosch.
The court heard Zicchino, 58, was travelling to inspect a cattery just after 5pm, when he attempted a U-turn “straight into oncoming traffic”, leaving no time for motorists to avoid a crash. Mr Mosch described it as a “very serious example of drink driving” and imposed a hefty $2500 fine, with an 18-month licence disqualification, and recorded convictions.
NOVEMBER: AMANDA LEONORA ELMES: 0.276
Amanda Leonora Elmes, 52, pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death while drunk, and drink driving in Maroochydore District Court on November 11.
The court was told Elmes was five times the limit with a breath alcohol concentration of 0.276 when she drove dangerously for 5km at Balmoral Ridge on May 27, 2021.
Crown prosecutor Samantha O’Rourke said Elmes was driving on the wrong side of the road and driving at erratic speeds causing others to take evasive action. The court heard Elmes drove at speed over a concrete island and into the side of a stationary car belonging to 71-year-old Kerry Bowe. Mr Bowe’s injuries were extensive and although he was flown to hospital and treated, he eventually succumbed to his “traumatic” injuries on May 31, 2021.
Judge Gary Long sentenced Elmes to 6.5 years’ prison with a parole eligibility date of May 7, 2024, after she serves 18 months. She was disqualified from driving for five years.
NOVEMBER: BRENDAN JOHN GALLAGHER: 0.275
Brendan John Gallagher, 36, pleaded guilty to the operation of a vehicle causing death while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance, when he appeared in a Cairns court in November.
Gallagher was charged with hitting and killing popular 49-year-old Stratford Dolphins Football Club soccer coach Dennis “Millsy” Mills with his car while allegedly driving at more than five times the legal limit on January 22 last year.
Gallagher was 35 at the time, and the court was told he left Hemingway’s Brewery car park to drive home and entered Freshwater Rd towing a large trailer.
Judge Tracy Fantin sentenced Gallagher to six years’ imprisonment. He will be eligible for parole after he has served two years on November 30, 2024, and is disqualified from driving for five years.
NOVEMBER: MELISSA ANN NAPOLINE: 0.262
A Gympie resident called police after office worker Melissa Ann Napoline got behind the wheel of a car in Glastonbury and drove 17km into Gympie along a busy country road, while drunk.
Napoline pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor when she fronted Gympie Magistrates Court on November 3. She was more than five times over the limit at the time of the offence. By the time police found her 40 minutes later she was slumped over the steering wheel of her car in the Central Shopping Centre car park.
A blood test returned an alcohol level of 0.262 per cent. Magistrate Chris Callaghan fined her $1200 and disqualified her from driving for 13 months. Convictions were recorded.
MARCH: CLINTON THOMSON STRANG: 0.261
A Cairns businessman who blew more than five times the legal limit when driving to pick up work supplies was fined $1000 and disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for 12 months after he fronted Cairns Magistrates Court in March.
Clinton Thomson Strang, 47, pleaded guilty to one count of high-range drink driving after returning a blood alcohol concentration reading of 0.261.
Police prosecutor Lachlan Perry told the court Strang was intercepted by police conducting mobile patrols at 11.15am on March 1 in Portsmith and given a random breath test.
He said Strang told police he began drinking at midnight and couldn’t recall what time he stopped. The court heard he drove to Hungry Jacks to purchase a meal and said he was unable to report how much liquor he had drunk. Magistrate Cathy McLennan said: “It is quite amazing to me that you were actually able to drive, able to walk, able to stand,” she said.
SEPTEMBER: THERESA AGNES BABCOCK: 0.248
A 77-year-old Rosemount woman was told to “put her car on blocks”, after she crashed into a parked car while almost five times the legal limit in May.
Theresa Agnes Babcock represented herself in Maroochydore Magistrates Court in September, where she pleaded guilty to driving under the influence.
The court heard emergency services were called to a crash on Petrie Creek Rd, Nambour, on May 26 after Babcock crashed into a number of parked cars just before 9pm.
All cars involved were written off, though Babcock’s vehicle was still drivable.
The court heard Babcock was so drunk she couldn’t give a breath test, and was taken to hospital for a blood test where her blood alcohol concentration was 0.248, nearly five times the limit. Babcock was fined $1050 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
JUNE: SCOTT JOHN MOON: 0.247
Drink driver Scott John Moon, who crashed in wet weather after losing control on a roundabout in Hervey Bay, told police “I f----- up”. Moon, 36, pleaded guilty to high-range drink driving and failing to have proper control of the vehicle when he faced Hervey Bay Magistrates Court in June.
The crash happened at the intersection of Main St and Boat Harbour Drive about 11.20pm on May 9, 2022. The court heard Moon returned a blood alcohol concentration of 0.247. Magistrate Trinity McGarvie fined Moon $1600 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
SEPTEMBER: RAHN TONY DAVID NORRIS: 0.236
Townsville father Rahn Tony David Norris, was busted for high level drink-driving after being found five times over the legal alcohol limit in September.
Norris, who pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, expressed concerns about how he was going to ferry his two kids around during the school holidays without a driver’s licence when he appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court.
The court heard Norris had been driving on Geaney Lane, Deeragun, on August 21 when he was pulled over for a random breath test. He registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.236 – almost five times the legal limit. liquor. Accusing Norris of endangering not only himself but every road user, the magistrate fined Norris $1500 and imposed an 11-month disqualification period, with no conviction recorded.
AUGUST: BRADLEY SCOTT McNAMARA: 0.236
Bradley Scott McNamara recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.236 after a crash in Townsville on June 17. McNamara pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor in Townsville Magistrates Court in August.
Police breath tested him when they responded to the crash on Bayswater Rd. McNamara attended the Townsville hospital mental health unit where staff put him on an involuntary treatment order for a month. Magistrate Smid sentenced McNamara to probation and disqualified him from driving for 13 months. A conviction was not recorded.
OCTOBER: PRUE ANNE CONNOLLY: 0.228
Brisbane Broncos sales executive Prue Anne Connolly drove drunk through a busy busway in the CBD and shouted obscene language at police.
The 29-year-old was disqualified from driving for 12 months and was put on a six-month probation order after pleading guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court in October to committing public nuisance, obstructing a police officer and drink driving.
The prosecution said the Spring Hill woman was arrested after she was seen driving out of the busway underneath Queen St.
Ms Connolly told the officers she had drunk a bottle of vodka. A breath test at the Brisbane City Watch house returned an alcohol concentration of 0.228, more than four times the legal limit. She was charged with driving under the influence. Magistrate Penelope Hay said did not record a conviction.
MAY: GINA LEIGH JAMES: 0.227
Gina Leigh James pleaded guilty at Maroochydore Magistrates Court in May 2022 to driving under the influence after crashing her car in Bli Bli and registering a blood alcohol concentration of 0.227.
The court heard the registered nurse had finished her shift at Sunshine Coast University Hospital and went to a friend’s place where she consumed a bottle of wine.
James then drove home along Bli Bli Rd when she crashed her car into the back of a boat trailer, causing her car to flip. James was convicted and ordered to pay $4000 in damages to the trailer, fined $900 and was disqualified from driving for 11 months.
AUGUST: MORRIS LING 0.218
Cairns man Morris Ling “took a drunken gamble with the lives of others” when he drove drunk after a birthday party and crashed, killing his niece Ailsa Rani Satini, 20, in July 2021.
Ling pleaded guilty to manslaughter and aggravated dangerous operation of a vehicle causing grievous bodily harm while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance while excessively speeding.
The court heard that Rani was the designated driver of her Mazda 3 at a birthday celebration for Ling at Edge Hill Tavern and she was in the driver’s seat when Ling, who had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.218, told her to get in the passenger’s seat and took the keys off her.
Ling drove at up to 135km/h in a 50km/h zone on Enmore Road, accelerating through red lights at the Reservoir Rd intersection, slamming into a Rav 4 driven by nurse Kimberley Coates, who suffered life-changing injuries. The car then slammed so hard into a power pole it tipped vertically, split the power pole, and killed Rani, who was in the front seat. Cairns Supreme Court Justice James Henry sentenced Ling, 35, to six years and four years to be served cumulatively – effectively a 10-year sentence, with no parole date.
He absolutely disqualified Ling from driving.
AUGUST: RYAN DAVID GILMORE: 0.217
Ayr resident Ryan David Gilmore recorded a blood-alcohol content of 0.217 after crashing the car he was driving during a day off “on the drink”.
Townsville Magistrates Court heard Gilmore was more than four times the legal limit when he jumped behind the wheel of his Toyota Landcruiser in the early morning of June 19.
Emergency services crews were called after the single vehicle crash on the Bruce Highway at Alligator Creek at 2am. They found the Landcruiser flipped upside down on its roof, with Gilmore sitting nearby. The court heard Gilmore recorded a blood-alcohol content of 0.217.
Gilmore pleaded guilty to charges of driving under the influence of liquor, and not having proper control of a vehicle. Magistrate Peter Smid fined Gilmore $1500 and barred him from driving for 14 months. Convictions were recorded.
APRIL: BENJAMIN GINO PETER ALLANSON: 0.212
Uni student Benjamin Gino Peter Allanson, 21, pleaded guilty to drink driving in Caboolture Magistrates Court in April after getting behind the wheel while more than four times over the limit.
The Sunshine Coast University finance and economics student, from Wamuran, was driving in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast in March when police pulled him over at 11.40pm.
The court heard that police noticed Allanson had bloodshot eyes and smelt of liquor.
Police conducted a random breath test and Allanson returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.212 – more than four times over the limit. Allanson was fined $1200 and disqualified from driving for 11 months. A conviction was recorded.
APRIL: WAYLON WILLIAM WOOD: 0.209
A drink-driving Logan concreter, who crashed his car while over four times the legal limit, developed a “significant problem” with booze, a court heard.
Bethania father-of-two Waylon William Wood, 25, pleaded guilty in Beenleigh Magistrates Court on April 19 to nine charges, including driving under the influence of liquor, committing a public nuisance and stealing. The court heard Wood crashed his car into a ditch in Buccan and recorded a 0.209 blood alcohol reading on August 7 last year.
Further police checks also revealed that Wood was driving without a licence and his car was unregistered, uninsured and had a registration plate that didn’t belong to it.
The court heard Wood also pleaded guilty to public nuisance and stealing in 2021. He was fined $1800 and disqualified from driving for eight months. He was also ordered to pay $446 in restitution to the victim. No convictions were recorded for the offences of committing a public nuisance, breaching bail, stealing or using a restricted computer without consent.
OCTOBER: JANELLE CHERICE GEEVES: 0.207
Cairns stylist Janelle Cherice Geeves who crashed a Porsche lost her licence for 12 months and was fined $1100 after registering a blood-alcohol content of 0.207.
Geeves was charged with drink driving and possessing four grams of cannabis.
Police prosecutor Constable Ken Chapman told Cairns Magistrates Court Geeves was found sitting next to her crashed Porsche on Redlynch Intake Rd at 4pm on September 25.
Magistrate Terence Brown noted Geeves had been arrested three times for drink driving.
“You were a little over four times the legal limit,” he said.
“I take into account you are using rehabilitation services.”
Magistrate Brown disqualified Geeves from driving for 12 months and fined her $1100.
APRIL: LISA ANNE CECILIA JOHNSON: 0.204
A Wynnum North woman faced court after 4L of goon wine caught up with her when she crashed her car into a tree in the middle of a traffic island before blowing 0.204.
Lisa Anne Cecilia Johnson, 34, pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor (UIL) and driving unlicensed when she appeared in Cleveland Magistrates Court on April 7.
The 34-year-old was on a “KFC run” when she mistook the accelerator pedal for the brake.
The court heard police “found the vehicle stuck on top of a tree on a traffic island” at Grant St in Cleveland at around 5.50pm on January 21.
Magistrate Deborah Vasta sentenced the defendant to 12 months’ probation and disqualified her from driving for seven months. No conviction was recorded.
AUGUST: THANAPORN FRASER: 0.202
Thanaporn Fraser, 54, pleaded guilty in Hervey Bay Magistrates Court in August to driving under the influence of liquor.
The court heard Fraser was driving on Denman Camp Rd in Kawungan. Sergeant Claire Bibby told the court around 11.40pm on July 25, 2022, Fraser was stopped by police for a roadside breath test and was taken to the police station for further testing.
She returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.202, the court heard. Fraser’s defence lawyer told the court her client had consumed “full strength beers” at a friend’s house without having much to eat that evening, and did not wish to offer “any excuses” for her actions.
The court heard Fraser owned a massage business in Hervey Bay and had no relevant history of drink driving. Magistrate Trinity McGarvie told the court it was “significant reading”.
Fraser was fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for 10 months. A conviction was recorded.
APRIL: DAMIEN O’CONNOR: 0.202
Damien O’Connor pleaded guilty at Caloundra Magistrates Court on April 21, 2022, to driving while drunk on the Bruce Hwy. Police received reports of a ute being driven erratically by swerving between lanes several times on the Bruce Hwy near Eumundi at 11am on March 25, 2022.
An informant followed O’Connor to the final location he stopped his car at and reported it to police who arrived at the address and gave him a breath test, which showed a reading of 0.202 per cent. The court heard O’Connor was emotionally distraught after a marriage breakdown and had consumed four glasses of wine shortly before driving.
O’Connor had his licence disqualified for nine months and was fined $1200.
JUNE: ALEISHA GABRIELLE FISHER-LOVE 0.199
Buderim woman Aleisha Gabrielle Fisher-Love was banned from driving for 10 months after she drove after drinking two bottles of wine at home before crashing her car.
Fisher-Love, 33, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence when she appeared in Maroochydore Magistrates Court in June.
The court heard police were called to a car crash at Nicklin Way and Production Ave, Warana, in the early hours of May 24, 2022 and Fisher-Love later returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.199. Fisher-Love was convicted, fined $1050 and disqualified from driving for 10 months.
NOVEMBER: BRUCE NAUT: 0.198
Vanuatu national Bruce Naut crashed into the fence of the grounds of Kepnock State High School while more than three times the legal alcohol limit.
Police were forced to activate their sirens when the drunken Naut started crossing double white lines and performing U-turns on them. The Vanuatu national, who came to Australia to work on farms and support his partner and child back home, veered on to the wrong side of the road as part of his dangerous antics on the afternoon of May 24, 2022.
Naut pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving, one count of drink driving, one count of driving disqualified and one count of evasion, in November at Bundaberg Magistrates Court and was sentenced to probation and fines. His blood alcohol reading returned a result of 0.198.
AUGUST: CAROL ANNE PAVEY: 0.198
After drinking beer and gin, Maryborough woman Carol Anne Pavey got behind the wheel intending to drive to Gympie. But her manner of driving quickly alerted police to her intoxicated state.
Pavey pleaded guilty to drink driving when she appeared before Maryborough Magistrates Court in August. The court heard she was stopped by police on August 3, 12.05am on Gympie Rd in Tinana. The court heard police said they could smell liquor and she was slurring her words. Pavey returned a reading of 0.198 per cent. Pavey was fined $1000 and she was disqualified from driving for 12 months. A conviction was recorded.
SEPTEMBER: BARTHOLOMEW CAMERON NORRIS 0.194
A man ended up in hospital having major surgery after driving drunk and crashing his ute into two trucks while more than three times the legal alcohol limit.
Bartholomew Cameron Norris, 24, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of liquor when he fronted Chinchilla Magistrates Court in September.
The court heard Norris suffered lifelong injuries after crashing into a semi-trailer and truck on June 12, before registering a blood alcohol concentration of 0.194.
The court also heard he had drinks at the Condamine pub with friends before driving along the Leichhardt Highway. The court was told Norris was seen swerving into other lanes before the crash in which he was trapped in the ute and taken to Toowoomba Hospital where he was in intensive care for four days. He had major surgery on his hand, a titanium rod inserted in his femur, screws into his hip and knee, a bruised heart and lungs, and lost a lot of blood.
The court heard the drivers of the trucks were uninjured. Magistrate Kerrie O’Callaghan fined Norris $2000 and disqualified from driving for seven months.
AUGUST: KARTIK KESHWA NAND: 0.194
Drink driver Kartik Keshwa Nand crashed his dream car into a ditch after a few post-work drinks, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told in August, when the 32-year-old pleaded guilty to high-range drink driving. The court heard emergency services found Nand’s vehicle had crashed into an embankment and rolled onto its roof on Highfields Road about 12.20am on June 10.
Police breath tested Nand at the scene where he returned a positive reading, before later tests revealed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.194, almost four times the legal limit. Nand was taken to Toowoomba Hospital with rib injuries.
The court heard Nand had saved up to buy his $50,000 dream car, but had totalled it in the crash, and would be in debt as the damage was not covered by his insurance company.
Magistrate Clare Kelly fined Nand $1300, and disqualified him from holding a driver’s licence for six months. No conviction was recorded.
AUGUST: MARSHALL HENRY 0.192
Marshall Henry, 26, had a BAC of 0.192 when he crashed his cousin’s unregistered and uninsured car on Razorback Rd, Bouldercombe near Rockhampton, on July 9 about 7.45pm.
Henry pleaded guilty on August 8 to one count each of driving while his licence was suspended, drink drive, drive an unregistered car and drive an uninsured car.
The court heard police were called to the crash and checks revealed Henry’s licence had been suspended by SPER since October 9, 2021. The court also heard Henry, who was slurring his words and smelt strongly of alcohol, told police he had drunk 12 beers since 2.30pm and was driving from Rockhampton to Mount Morgan.
Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale said 0.192 was a “horrific reading” and disqualified Henry from driving for 12 months, placed him on a 12-month probation order and ordered he pay $1100 in fines.
MARCH: KIBIKANG UMBA BIRE: 0.191
A man’s tipsy servo trip ended in jail time after police nabbed him almost four times the legal limit, three years into a four-year driving ban. After a night drinking and celebrating a friend’s 40th birthday, Kibikang Umba Bire joined another man on a drive to the Night Owl at Airlie Beach to get more food for the party.
Townsville Magistrates Court heard in March that Bire’s friend parked “poorly”, so he got out to repark the car and then drove around the corner on Shute Harbour Dr.
When police intercepted Bire, 39, they discovered he had 11 months remaining on a four-year court-ordered licence disqualification. Bire recorded a blood-alcohol content of 0.191, almost four times the legal limit.
Magistrate Ken Taylor heard that Bire had eight previous drink driving convictions, six unlicensed driving and five driving under the influence convictions, and had previously been sentenced to wholly suspended jail terms and parole. Mr Taylor sentenced Bire to nine months’ jail with a parole release date of May 21.
He will be off the road for three years.
JULY: SIMONE MICHELLE FRUITIER 0.188
Intoxicated masseuse Simone Michelle Fruitier is lucky to be alive after she was found by Townsville police with her car dangling over the edge of a cliff.
Fruitier pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of liquor when she fronted Townsville Magistrates Court in July. The court heard after drinking alcohol for hours during a phone conversation with a friend who was going through a difficult divorce, Fruitier, 45, made the fateful decision to drive to console her friend in-person.
Police received a call just after 10pm on July 5 from a woman saying her car was hanging over a cliff at Melton Tce, in the Townsville CBD. When the police arrived “they observed a white Ford Courier perched over the top of the cliff, with the front half pointed in the air and rear wheels down the face of the rock”. While speaking with Fruitier, officers observed her to be dishevelled and stumbling, with glazed eyes, and alcohol on her breath. They detected a blood-alcohol content of 0.188.
She was fined $1500, with a 10-month licence disqualification, and a traffic conviction recorded.
APRIL: CONNOR THOMAS MACKENZIE: 0.187
Young business owner Connor Thomas Mackenzie faced court in April after drunkenly crashing a dirt bike while joy riding almost four times over the limit.
The Ormeau man, 23, pleaded guilty in Beenleigh Magistrates Court to driving under the influence of liquor.
The court heard Mackenzie had been riding an unregistered trail bike on the road, performing burnouts in the rain. He had not been wearing a helmet at the time of his crash and was left with “significant facial and skull injuries”. He was taken to hospital and returned a blood alcohol concentration of 0.187 per cent.
Magistrate Clare Kelly said it was the third time he had been charged for this type of offence.
He was fined $1500 and disqualified from driving for 12 months. A conviction was recorded.
SEPTEMBER: DION KYLE WATSON: 0.178
Sun Metals Zinc Refinery worker Dion Kyle Watson was lucky he didn’t kill himself or other road users after crashing into another vehicle while drink-driving in the rain, a Townsville court heard in September.
Townsville Magistrates Court heard Watson, 26, crashed his white Toyota Landcruiser into the rear of a white Toyota HiLux at 10pm on November 12, 2021.
Watson pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of liquor, failing to keep a safe distance behind a vehicle, and driving without reasonable consideration for other people using the road.
Prosecutor Erin Collis said the HiLux, which had stopped at a red light, was pushed by the impact into the middle of the intersection of Woolcock St and Ingham Rd, creating extensive damage.
When police approached Watson, he produced a Western Australian driver’s licence, was “slurring his words and smelt strongly of liquor”. The court heard Watson told police he had four mid-strength schooners of beer, before registering a blood-alcohol content of 0.178 – almost four times the legal limit.
Magistrate Steven Mosch said Watson was a danger to himself and other road users, and allowing for the time he had already been off the road, imposed an extra 12-month licence disqualification, a $1750 fine, and recorded a conviction.
AUGUST: KAREN MAGDALINA WILLIAMS: 0.177
Redland City Council mayor Karen Magdalina Williams, 55, pleaded guilty in August in Cleveland Magistrates Court to driving under the influence of liquor after admitting she drank four glasses of wine before crashing a council-owned Lexus station wagon into trees.
The court heard her blood-alcohol concentration was 0.177, when she crashed the vehicle about 8pm on June 23.
The court was told the crash was about 1km from council chambers, where Williams had held a zoom meeting, 30 minutes prior to the crash, with families of those who had died on the roads and at the hands of juveniles. The court heard the Lexus crossed four lanes on Wellington St, mounted the kerb and hit a metal fence, before slamming into trees. Police attended and Williams was taken to hospital but was not seriously hurt.
Magistrate Deborah Vasta, who said she was not acquainted with the mayor, noted the heavy publicity Williams’ case had attracted and took her licence away for six months, and sentenced her to having an interlock device fitted to her car for five years along with 80 hours of community service.
JULY: KEEAN EDWARD HOLT: 0.176
Keean Edward Holt, 34, had a blood-alcohol content of 0.176 when he was intercepted driving a white Mazda BT-50 on Wandal Rd, Rockhampton, at 7.55pm on July 5. He pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Magistrates Court in July to one count of drink-driving.
Police prosecutor Courtney Brown said when police intercepted Holt, he told them he had consumed “copious amounts of alcohol” between 4pm and 7.20pm at home. The court heard Holt had prior convictions for drink-driving. Magistrate Jason Schubert sentenced Holt to three months’ prison, wholly suspended and operational for 15 months. Holt was also disqualified from driving for 15 months.
MARCH: LEUDIS ALARCON MONTOYA: 0.176
A former teacher who escaped Cuba by swimming to Guantanamo was pinged drunk behind the wheel when he drove down the M1 the wrong way at 3am.
Leudis Alarcon Montoya claimed he had consumed only two glasses of wine the previous night, yet recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.176 per cent.
The 37-year-old was only stopped on the Pacific Motorway at Ormeau about 3am on December 18, 2021 when other motorists boxed his car in and took his keys. Alarcon Montoya pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court in March to dangerous operation of a vehicle while intoxicated.
Magistrate Louisa Pink fined Alarcon Montoya $2000 and disqualified him from driving for nine months.
SEPTEMBER: BRENDON MASON GEORGE: 0.175
Brendon Mason George, 50, lost his licence for six months after being seen swerving his car on the New England Highway on his way home from shopping and recording a blood alcohol reading of 0.175 in September. Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard that police were called after a car was seen to swerve side to side as it headed south on the highway.
The registration number given to police led officers to George who, when police arrived, was unpacking his shopping from the car, which had an open can of beer in the console. and George told police he had just driven home from the Highfields Plaza minutes earlier.
The 50-year-old blew a breath alcohol reading of 0.175, the court was told.
The self-represented George pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor.
He told the court he had been without his driver’s licence since the incident and as a result couldn’t work as a cleaner. Magistrate Clare Kelly fined George $750 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for six months.
MARCH: DAISY LOOSMORE: 0.172
Daisy Loosmore, a Gold Coast house manager, was three times over the legal blood-alcohol limit when she drifted across lanes while driving in February.
She pleaded guilty to driving under the influence when she fronted Southport Magistrate Court on March 7, 2022. The court heard that police stopped Loosmore in Arundel on February 5 due to her driving behaviour, and she recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.172.
The court was told the 33-year-old was under personal stress after the loss of someone close.
Magistrate John McInnes fined Loosmore $900 and suspended her from driving for six months. No conviction was recorded.
JULY: PAUL PAGE TAYLOR: 0.169
A Rockhampton Magistrate blasted on-duty Black & White Cabs taxi driver Paul Page Taylor for a high-range blood alcohol reading of 0.169 while transporting a fare-paying passenger. The items police found in the boot of his cab didn’t help his case.
Taylor, 57, pleaded guilty in Yeppoon Magistrates Court on July 7 to high-range drink-driving. Taxi drivers are required to have no alcohol in their systems while working. The court heard police were patrolling Yeppoon Rd when they intercepted Taylor at 1.40am and breath tested him. The court also heard police also saw an open 30-pack carton of Great Northern mid-strength beer cans “with some contents missing” in the boot of the vehicle.
. Magistrate Jason Schubert said Taylor had a previous drink-driving offence from 2016. He fined Taylor $1100 and disqualified him from driving for 10 months.
MARCH: PAUL KENDALL GARRY GRIEVE: 0.167
Transport supervisor Paul Kendall Garry Grieve was fined $1000 and suspended from driving for six months after he was caught three times over the legal blood-alcohol limit. The Southport Magistrate Court was told Grieve, 49, crashed his car into the side of a barrier on March 12 in Oxenford. He recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.167.
AUGUST: CHRISTIAN LUKE DUJELA: 0.164
A drink driver who caused a head-on crash after getting behind the wheel following eight knock-off beers was slammed by a magistrate for his “appalling” decision that saw a person injured in the crash.
Christian Luke Dujela pleaded guilty to high-range drink driving, when he fronted Toowoomba Magistrates Court in August.
The court heard Dujela, had been travelling north when his 2018 Ford Ranger ute drifted into oncoming traffic and collided with a car causing a two-vehicle head-on crash on Toowoomba Athol Rd at Westbrook about 10.10pm on June 4, 2022.
He returned a reading of 0.164, more than three times the legal limit. The auto-electrician had been driving a work ute which was totalled and resulted in him being sacked and facing insurance costs. Dujela was fined $2000, referred to SPER, and disqualified from driving for nine months. A conviction was recorded.
SEPTEMBER: CODY ZAWAI STURT: 0.163
Townsville man Cody Zawai Sturt was fined after a crash in Kirwan while three times the legal limit. He came to the attention of police on August 20 when they arrived at the crash scene at a roundabout on Kern Brothers Dr in Kirwan at 3.35am.
Police prosecutor Eireann Philipson said the Mazda Sturt had been driving had its hazard lights on and was in an “extremely damaged state” with both sides of the car smashed, the bumper ripped off, two burst tyres, and the undercarriage ripped out.
Townsville Magistrates Court heard there were tyre marks and debris strewn across the road, a guard rail was damaged, and a keep-left sign had been “sheared off”.
At the police station Sturt registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.163 – over three times the legal limit. Sturt told police he’d started drinking at 5.30pm the previous day, consuming seven pints of XXXX Gold and a 10 pack of Johnny Walker and cola.
Sturt pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of liquor and driving without due care and attention. Magistrate Scott Luxton regarded the offending as “out of character” and fined him $1700 with a 12-month licence disqualification, with no conviction recorded.
MARCH: MATTHEW BRIAN DART: 0.163
Moranbah man Matthew Brian Dart was “not thinking straight” when he drunkenly drove a golf buggy down the middle of a busy road on a Macca’s run in January. Moranbah Magistrates Court heard Dart, whose blood alcohol reading was 0.163 per cent, thought he was doing the right thing using a golf buggy instead of a car.
The father of one pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of liquor and driving an uninsured vehicle. Prosecutor Tasmin Murphy said police had been patrolling on Mills Ave on January 14, 2020 when about 12.30am they spotted a golf cart travelling in the middle of the road. Magistrate Rosemary Gilbert convicted Dart and fined him $800 and disqualified him from driving for six months.
JULY: PAUL JOHN IVANOV: 0.161
Heartbroken after breaking up with his girlfriend of eight years, Paul John Ivanov decided to drown his sorrows at a friend’s place in Kirwan, Townsville. Due to his alcohol-impaired judgment, the 20-year-old made the wrong decision to drive home on June 24. He appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court in July to plead guilty to driving under the influence of liquor. The court heard he came to the attention of police at 9.20pm when he swerved out in front of traffic, forcing two vehicles to jam on their brakes.
When they pulled him over, officers noted the smell of alcohol, his red watery eyes, slurred speech, and open beer in the driver’s side door.
At the police station, Ivanov refused to answer questions or provide his details and appeared “highly confused” trying to blow into the breathalyser. Eventually he registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.161. He was fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
No conviction was recorded.
APRIL: NICOLETTE BARRETT: 0.155
Jimboomba woman Nicolette Barrett was busted driving while more than three times the legal alcohol limit after a birthday party in February. She pleaded guilty in Beenleigh Magistrates Court to driving under the influence of alcohol.
The court was told Barrett was found by police stuck in her vehicle after “travelling into flood waters” in Belivah at 10.10pm on February 26. Police conducted a breath test after she showed signs of slurred speech and smelt of alcohol and returned a positive reading of 0.155 per cent.
She was fined $800 and disqualified from driving for six months. No conviction was recorded.
MARCH: JEREMIAH THOMAS ANU: 0.154
Jeremiah Thomas Anu was disqualified from driving for 10 months and fined $800 after giving a roadside breath test which registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.154 in March. Anu, an operator at Byerwen Mine, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, after he was breath tested while sitting in the driver’s seat of an idling car on Herbert St, Bowen, at 1.24am on Sunday, March 6.
He told Magistrate James Morton he took the car because he needed a lift to get more drinks. Mr Morton wasn’t buying his claim that four Great Northern beers put him more than three times the legal limit. But he did understand a weekend catch-up with friends would do it. “Had you been driving the car, it would have been a 12-to-15 month disqualification,” Mr Morton said. Convictions were recorded.
FEBRUARY: DANIEL JACK MACPHERSON: 0.153
Daniel Jack Macpherson was taken off the road again in February after he pleaded guilty in Southport Magistrate Court to driving under the influence, just months after losing his driver’s licence for eight months. Southport Magistrates Court heard Macpherson was arrested in Ormeau on February 16 when he recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.153. The previous time he lost his licence, he was suspended from driving for eight months and fined $1000. This time, Magistrate John McInnes fined Macpherson $1200 and suspended him from driving for nine months.
AUGUST: LIMBIE LARRYZA KELEGAI: 0.152
Limbie Larryza Kelegai, 32, pleaded guilty in Hervey Bay Magistrates Court in August to driving under the influence of liquor and driving a motor vehicle other than as allowed under an interlock condition. Police prosecutor Sergeant Claire Bibby told the court around 2.30pm on June 4, 2022, police saw a car in Pialba parked at an “obscure angle” across a nature strip with the driver’s door “wide open”.
Sergeant Bibby said police also saw “fresh wheel tracks” in the grass leading to the car. Kelegai initially denied driving, but eventually told police that he had driven the car from his house after a “disagreement with his partner”, Sergeant Bibby said. After completing a roadside breath test and further testing, Kelegai returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.152. Kelegai was given a $1200 fine and disqualified from driving for nine months for driving under the influence of liquor. For the other charge, he was disqualified from driving for three months. A conviction was recorded.
AUGUST: TRAVIS RYAN EASTMENT: 0.150
Travis Ryan Eastment, 22, had a BAC of 0.15 after drinking about nine beers and spirits between 9pm and 2.30am before he was pulled over by police about 4.30am on July 18 on Breakspear St, Rockhampton. He pleaded guilty to one count of drink driving on August 11.
The court heard Eastment told police he drove to get some food and was driving to a friend’s place. Rockhampton Magistrate Court magistrate Cameron Press said Eastment’s reading was “high” and “dangerous”. Eastment was disqualified from driving for eight months and fined $900.
MARCH: ZACHARY FIECHTNER: 0.150
Truck driver Zachary Fiechtner, who has a history of “disregard for traffic rules” rolled his car while three times the legal limit, Warwick Magistrates Court was told in March.
Fiechtner pleaded guilty to high-range drink driving after the shocking incident, which saw him taken to hospital and his vehicle severely damaged and crashed into a culvert.
Tests showed he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.15. Magistrate Julian Noud chastised the mine supervisor for his dangerous decision to drink while drunk. The 32-year-old was fined $1050 and disqualified from driving for nine months.
MARCH: PIERCE VAUGHAN DAWSON: 0.150
Brisbane labourer Pierce Vaughan Dawson was taken off the road for eight months after being busted driving drunk in Allora. Warwick Magistrates Court heard in March that Dawson was stopped by police on Warwick St in February when he returned a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15. The 20-year-old pleaded guilty to high-range drink driving and was also fined $1000.
No conviction was recorded.
NOVEMBER: ZOE JADE BROWN: 0.149
Townsville woman Zoe Jade Brown, who crashed twice while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, has had her licence disqualified for six years and was sentenced to spend two months in jail.
The retail worker, 29, who had a “terrible traffic history” pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention, driving under the influence of drugs, driving while drunk, driving with a disqualified licence, and driving without a licence.
Police prosecutor Emily Olditch told Townsville Magistrates Court in November that Brown had left the scene of a “hit-and-run” crash on Boundary St, Railway Estate at 8.50pm on November 15, 2021.
Her blood alcohol content was 0.149. In another crash, on May 29, 2022, Brown collided with a parked car on Queen St, Hermit Park. Brown was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment, with convictions recorded, and a six-year licence disqualification.
JUNE: JAMES TRISTAN WALKER: 0.149
A Warwick P-plater busted driving at just under three times the alcohol limit has been told he was “well over any error in judgment” he could possibly have made, when he fronted Warwick Magistrates Court in June.
Police nabbed Walker on Glengallan Rd at 11.40pm on March 25, where he recorded a BAC of 0.149. Walker pleaded guilty to drink driving and was fined $750 and disqualified from driving for four months.
AUGUST: PATRICK BEAU ALLEN: 0.148
Patrick Beau Allen, 40, had a blood-alcohol content reading of 0.148 when he was intercepted driving along the Capricorn Highway on July 27. Allen pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on August 10 to one count each of drink driving and obstruct police officer.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Peter Rumford said when police asked Allen for his driver’s licence, he responded with offensive language and would not get out of his vehicle when told he was under arrest. Police attempted to remove Allen from his vehicle and he resisted. Police struggled with Allen and both police and Allen fell to the ground where a further struggle continued, which resulted in police having to “present their tasers”.
Allen was fined $950 and disqualified from driving for 10 months with a traffic conviction recorded. He was also ordered to six months’ probation with no criminal conviction recorded.
AUGUST: GEORGE DONALDSON: 0.148
When police found a man lying on the side of the road next to his vehicle, they knew something was amiss. George Donaldson, 70, pleaded guilty to one count of drink driving when he appeared before Maryborough Magistrates Court in August. The court heard police were in Bauple Dr, Bauple, when they noticed a Nissan stopped in the middle of the lane.
Donaldson was lying beside the vehicle and when he was approached by police, he told them he was feeling unwell. He later returned a reading of 0.148 per cent. Donaldson was fined $750 and was disqualified from driving for five months.
A conviction was recorded.
JUNE: MATTHEW GRAHAM FOSTER: 0.144
Matthew Graham Foster was taken off the roads for four months after he was nabbed behind the wheel at close to three times the alcohol limit and became threatening towards police.
The 41-year-old Foster pleaded guilty to one count each of drink driving and obstructing police when he appeared in Warwick Magistrates Court in June.
The court heard he was pulled over for a random breath test on Pratten St on May 10, telling police he had only just finished a drink before getting in his car and would need to wait 20 minutes before being breathalysed. Foster then recorded a blood alcohol contest reading of 0.144. Magistrate Virginia Sturgess fined him $600 and disqualified him from driving for four months.
MARCH: NATHAN BONTOFT 0.140
Less than one year after a man was arrested for drink driving while on his way to pick up his daughter, he was caught driving with methylamphetamine in his system, a court has heard.
The Logan dad, 30, appeared in Ipswich Magistrates Court on March 29, charged with one count of driving while over the middle alcohol limit and one count of driving while a relevant drug was present in his saliva. He pleaded guilty to both charges, the first of which occurred at Goodna on December 23, 2020 and the second of which occurred at Crestmead on October 23, 2021.
Magistrate David Shepherd ordered Bontoft be supervised by an authorised corrective services officer for 18 months and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for seven months for drink driving and three months for drug driving. Convictions were recorded.
MARCH: DILLON JARED ALDERTON: 0.139
West Mackay man Dillon Jared Alderton, who had never held a driver’s licence, was fined $600 for unlicensed driving and also fined $900 for drink driving and disqualified for seven months, when he registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.139 per cent in February.
Mackay Magistrates Court was told Alderton decided to drive home and keep drinking with friends when he was intercepted for a random breath test.
The 24-year-old had pulled his green sedan into a driveway on Bridge Rd when police pulled him up about 9pm on February 19. He told police he had drunk a few beers earlier in the night. He pleaded guilty to drink-driving and driving without a licence having never held one.
The court heard Alderton worked full-time at Reconcile Life since September but had been involved with the organisation for the past three years.
Along with the fines, Magistrate Robert Turra recorded convictions.
JULY: SENIOR CONSTABLE ANTHONY ROSS PATRICK STOUT: 0.135
Off-duty police officer Senior Constable Anthony Ross Patrick Stout recorded a blood-alcohol content of 0.135 after a big night out at a rodeo in June.
The plain clothes constable, 39, was off duty on Sunday June 19, 2022 when he was intercepted for a random breath test on Riverway Dr at Townsville at 9.50am. He later recorded a blood-alcohol content of 0.135.
Stout pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle while over the middle alcohol limit, but not over the high alcohol limit when he fronted Townsville Magistrates Court in August.
The court heard Stout had told police he had been camping at a rodeo on the night of June 18, and had drunk 10 beers as well as whisky-based drinks between 2pm and midnight.
He had started driving at 9.30am before he was stopped by police less than 30 minutes later.
Magistrate Steven Mosch acknowledged Stout’s driving had not drawn the attention of police and fined him $850, and disqualified him from driving for six months. A conviction was recorded.
SEPTEMBER: KIRBY-LEE RAMAGE: 0.130
Kirby-Lee Ramage, a sole trader of a business on Magnetic Island, was disqualified from driving for eight months and had a traffic conviction recorded after she was pulled over by police for a random breath test and had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.13, twice the legal limit on August 19.
She pleaded guilty in Townsville Magistrates Court in September to driving a motor vehicle while over the middle alcohol limit but not over the high alcohol limit. Magistrate Peter Smid imposed an $800 fine, disqualified her and allowed her to apply for a work licence.
AUGUST: CLINTON DONALD LAIDLOW: 0.124
After a day at the races where he drank up to eight cans of alcohol, electrical contractor Clinton Donald Laidlow from North Queensland recorded a blood-alcohol content reading of 0.124 when he was breath tested on Lakeside Drive, Cluden on July 30.
Laidlow, 28, pleaded guilty in Townsville Magistrates Court in August to driving while over the middle alcohol limit. The court heard Laidlow needed his licence for his work where he was required to drive thousands of kilometres throughout North Queensland and had undertaken an online alcohol education program. Magistrate Peter Smid fined Laidlow $1500 and disqualified him from driving for five months. A conviction was not recorded.
MAY: ILLYA PIERRE WILSON: 0.124
A Toowoomba man’s 37-year military career was ended after he was found guilty of drink driving. Illya Pierre Wilson faced Toowoomba Magistrates Court in May where he pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle while over the middle alcohol limit.
The court was told the 55-year-old was stopped by police on the Warrego Highway at Bowenville about 12.05pm on April 22, 2022. After a positive roadside reading Wilson was taken to Dalby police station, where a breath analysis returned a reading of 0.124, police prosecutor Alister Windsor said.
Magistrate Kay Philipson said Wilson was in court because the community was “sick of people getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle while intoxicated” but acknowledged the incident happened while he was dealing with the grief of the loss of his father. Wilson was disqualified from driving for three months and fined $450. No conviction was recorded.
MARCH: EVAN JAMES ORMONDE: 0.124
Evan James Ormonde recorded a blood-alcohol level of 0.124 when he was pulled over in a random police intercept on Marina Dr, Bushland Beach on January 8. The father of two had been drinking with a friend when he decided to get behind the wheel and drive home, two streets away.
He pleaded guilty in Townsville Magistrates Court in March to driving a motor vehicle while over the middle alcohol limit but not over the high alcohol limit. Given that his work as a mechanic required him to travel to jobs at any time of the day or night, Magistrate Peter Smid granted him a work licence. Ormonde was fined $600 and disqualified from driving for three months, with a conviction recorded.
NOVEMBER: PETER HOEHN: 0.122
Moreton Bay school principal Peter Hoehn, who was driving at almost 2.5 times the legal alcohol limit to pick up dinner from McDonald’s, did so after a “very stressful day”, Brisbane Magistrates Court head in November. Hoehn, 57, of Bunya pleaded guilty to a single charge of driving while over the middle alcohol limit. The educator was charged after participating in a roadside breath test.
He was taken to a nearby police station where he later registered a blood alcohol reading of 0.122 per cent. Prosecutor Senior Constable Tri Pham said Mr Hoehn told police he had consumed four alcoholic drinks at home before driving to get food.
Magistrate Andrew Moloney said the principal’s traffic history was one of the best he had seen for a person who had been driving for 40 years. Hoehn was granted a restricted licence under which he could not carry passengers and was only permitted to drive for work purposes between 6.30am and 10pm Monday to Friday. He was fined $800 and disqualified from holding or obtaining a regular driver’s licence for six months.
AUGUST: MICHAEL DONALD LOOBY: 0.121
Riding a dirt bike that had not been registered in more than seven years, while under the influence of alcohol, landed Maryborough man Micheal Donald Looby, 45 in court.
Looby pleaded guilty to drink driving, driving an unregistered vehicle and driving an uninsured vehicle when he faced Maryborough Magistrates Court in August.
The court heard Looby was stopped by police on Pallas St, Maryborough, about 2.35am on July 2. When he was spoken to by the officers, he admitted to drinking earlier in the evening.
Looby returned a reading of 0.121 per cent. Checks carried out by police revealed the dirt bike had not been registered in more than seven years and it was uninsured. Looby was fined $800 and was disqualified from driving for five months. Convictions were recorded.
APRIL: BRADLEY DARRYL HARVEY: 0.121
Bracken Ridge man Bradley Darryl Harvey, 54, was caught drink driving after having several schooners of beer at a popular hotel in Kingaroy. Harvey pleaded guilty to charges of
mid-range drink driving in Pine Rivers Magistrate Court on April 7.
The court heard he was parked with his headlights on when police saw him. He complied with officers, making them aware of the six schooners of beer he had consumed prior.
He was taken back to the Kingaroy police station where he posted a breath blood alcohol reading of 0.121 per cent. He was fined $500 and suspended from holding a licence for three months. Convictions were recorded.
SEPTEMBER: MICHAEL JOHN EDWARD SIBLEY: 0.119
Education worker Michael John Edward Sibley had alcohol in his system while driving on a provisional licence, the day after a big night out. Sibley, 23, was pulled over by police at Rollingstone at 10am on September 11 and told officers he had about 12 Great Northern drinks at a family gathering the night before.
After waking up and “having a feed”, he thought he was right to drive, yet recorded a blood-alcohol content of 0.119. He pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle while over the middle alcohol limit but not over the high alcohol limit on a provisional licence.
Defence lawyer Darryn Casson said his client “felt fine” and was travelling home to get ready for work as a teacher aide at Mungalla Silver Lining School in Mutarnee.
Magistrate Viviana Keegan took into account the early plea, lack of history, and him being picked up the day after drinking, issuing a $500 fine, a five-month licence disqualification, with no conviction recorded.
MARCH: GORDON CRAIG LOVETT: 0.116
Vietnam veteran Gordon Craig Lovett fronted Warwick Magistrates Court in March after registering a blood alcohol concentration of 0.116 per cent. The court heard Lovett was nabbed after being stopped on Wood St on February 18. The 75-year-old pleaded guilty to drink driving and was fined $750 and disqualified from driving for six months.
No conviction was recorded.
AUGUST: ASTON TYRON TREVOR JONES: 0.114
Bundaberg fisherman Aston Tyron Trevor Jones lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a pole after downing too many drinks and blowing 0.114 per cent blood alcohol reading.
Jones pleaded guilty in Townsville Magistrates Court in August to driving a motor vehicle while over the middle alcohol limit but not over the high alcohol limit and failing to have proper control of a vehicle. The court heard Jones lost traction with the rear wheels of his car, and crashed into a light pole and a quarter of the bonnet was caved in by the impact.
The magistrate chastised Jones for driving over twice the legal limit and fined him $1500, with a seven-month licence disqualification, and no conviction recorded.
OCTOBER: MICHAEL LEIGH CARTAN: 0.113
Self-employed Toowoomba real estate agent Michael Leigh Cartan, 51, was fined $500 and disqualified from driving for three months after registering a blood alcohol concentration of 0.113 per cent.
Cartan pleaded guilty to one count of mid-range drink driving when he fronted Toowoomba Magistrates Court in October. Police prosecutor Sergeant Alister Windsor told the court police conducted an RBT on Curzon St and later took Cartan to Toowoomba Police Station on September 30 shortly after 11pm, when he returned a reading of 0.113.
Magistrate Kay Philipson granted him a restricted licence. No conviction was recorded.
MARCH: NAINGA ONICE SCHARTZ: 0.113
Police were responding to a disturbance in Townsville on February 19, when they breathalysed Nainga Onice Schwartz and she returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.113. She was charged with driving a motor vehicle while over the middle alcohol limit but not over the high alcohol limit.
The single mother-of-six had hoped to launch her own catering company after being let go from the Department of Child Safety due to the vaccination mandate. Magistrate Peter Smid issued a $700 fine and disqualified her for the minimum period of three months, with a conviction recorded.
FEBRUARY: DAGE JALEEL GAVIN ELLIS: 0.113
Scaffolder Dage Jaleel Gavin Ellis was found unconscious behind the wheel of his car after partying without eating before passing out with the engine running. Ellis, 26, pleaded guilty to a single count of being in charge of a motor vehicle when over the middle alcohol limit but not over the high alcohol limit when he appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court in February.
The court heard Airlie Beach police had been called to a parked car with two men inside at 4.10am on November 8. Officers woke Ellis, and after smelling alcohol they did a blood-alcohol test. The court heard Ellis recorded a blood-alcohol content of 0.113. Magistrate Steven Mosch fined Ellis $750 and disqualified him for three months.
MARCH: BIANCA KATHLEEN ANNMARI HUME: 0.111
Gold Coast woman Bianca Kathleen Annmari Hume was fined $600 and suspended from driving for four months with no conviction recorded after she was caught drink driving in Broadbeach in February, Southport Magistrates Court was told in March.
She recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.111. Hume, 35, told the court that losing her licence would affect her career.
MARCH: RYAN JAY EDE 0.109
Police randomly intercepted Ryan Jay Ede on Ross River Rd, Mundingburra, Townsville on January 31 where the 42-year-old father registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.109 and was later charged with driving a motor vehicle while over the middle alcohol limit but not over the high alcohol limit. He had been dealing with a “trivial issue” of needing to exactly divide his child’s Lego collection in half for the child’s mother. The dispute triggered an anxiety disorder, leading him to consume a “couple of beers” and “the foolish decision to drive”.
JUNE: MATTHEW ALBURY CLAUDE WAITES: 0.109
A few drinks to celebrate a hard-fought win on the footy field ended in a hefty disqualification and fine for Toowoomba man Matthew Albury Claude Waites, who recorded a blood-alcohol level of 0.109.
Waites fronted Toowoomba Magistrates Court in June where he pleaded guilty to driving while over the middle alcohol limit, driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle and driving without a licence.
The 27-year-old returned a reading of 0.109. Magistrate Kay Philipson disqualified Waites from holding a driver’s licence for two years and six months, and fined him $750, which was referred to SPER. Convictions were recorded.
MARCH: LOGAN ANTHONY STORMONTH: 0.108
Central Queensland diesel fitter Logan Anthony Stormonth was disqualified from driving for three months after he pleaded guilty in Moranbah Magistrates Court to mid-range drink driving in March.
Stormonth told the court he had been drinking at the Black Nugget Hotel where he had at least 10 beers and two rums in less than five hours before police stopped him on St Francis Dr, Moranbah, about 11.54pm on January 25, 2022. The court heard his blood alcohol concentration was 0.108 per cent. Magistrate Rosemary Gilbert said it was “hardly surprising” he was over the limit and convicted and fined him $600 and disqualified from driving for three months.
JANUARY: CONNOR RHYS McCARTHY: 0.107
Sparky Connor Rhys McCarthy, 23, claimed he got behind the wheel to ditch an event attended by Covid-positive guests, when he was caught drink driving on New Year’s Eve 2021.
McCarthy pleaded guilty in Townsville Magistrates Court in March to driving over the middle alcohol limit. The court heard he was pulled over in Woolcock St on December 31, and told police he’d drunk eight cans of rum and cola.
After being taken back to the station, McCarthy recorded a blood-alcohol content of 0.107 at 11.59pm and saw in the new year at the station. Magistrate Steven Mosch granted McCarthy a work licence but registered a conviction and fined him $650, and disqualified him from driving for six months.
AUGUST: TREIGH DARNELL NOTHDURFT: 0.106
A repeat drink driver came to the attention of police when he went through a traffic light in Maryborough after a night out at a local pub. Treigh Darnell Nothdurft, 23, pleaded guilty to drink driving when he faced Maryborough Magistrates Court on Wednesday, August 17.
The court heard in the early hours of the morning, a Toyota Landcruiser being driven by Nothdurft was seen by police going through a traffic light on Bazaar St. The P-plater was stopped by police and admitted to drinking five to eight Wild Turkey drinks at the Old Sydney Hotel. He returned a reading of 0.106 per cent. He was fined $900 and was disqualified from driving for 12 months. A conviction was recorded.
SEPTEMBER: KERRY LEIGH THISTLEWAITE: 0.099
Townsville factory worker Kerry Leigh Thistlewaite, 42, who was busted drink-driving on the Bruce Highway after running a red light in August, was told by a magistrate to “always look for coppers in the rear-view mirror”. Thistlewaite pleaded guilty to running the red light and drink-driving when she fronted Ingham Magistrates Court in September.
The court heard she had no prior convictions for drink-driving and recorded a blood-alcohol content reading of 0.099 per cent. She was convicted, fined $600 for drink driving, $275 for running a red light and disqualified from driving for five months.
AUGUST: MICHAEL ROBERT SELMES: 0.099
Michael Robert Selmes told Maryborough Magistrates Court that missing dinner led to him going over the alcohol limit. Selmes pleaded guilty to drink driving when he faced court in August.
The court heard about 7pm on July 28, 2022, police were in Alice St when they stopped Selmes, who was driving a ute.
The Aldershot man returned a reading of 0.099 per cent. Selmes said he only had a couple of drinks, but he hadn’t eaten since lunchtime, or drunk much water. He was fined $600 and was disqualified from driving for five months.
OCTOBER: ADAM WILLIAM LANE: 0.097
Ex-Queensland Reds player Adam William Lane, 43, who also played reserve grade for the North Queensland Cowboys, was busted drink driving for the third time in five years in September.
Lane pleaded guilty to the offence which occurred on Ashmore Rd in Bundall around 6.30pm on September 20. In a positive roadside test he had a subsequent breath analysis returning a result of 0.097 – almost twice the legal limit. He was convicted and fined $850 with a seven-month driving disqualification.
APRIL: AARON JAY TERRY: 0.097
Cleveland dad who voluntarily stopped driving for five months after blowing twice the legal alcohol limit pleaded guilty to driving over the general alcohol limit but not over the middle alcohol limit when he faced Cleveland Magistrates Court in April.
A police prosecutor told the court Aaron Jay Terry, 27, was pulled over for a roadside breath test early on November 22 last year on Hope Island Rd in the Gold Coast suburb of Helensvale. The court heard Terry’s blood alcohol level was 0.097 per cent.
Terry voluntarily banned himself from driving and made his pregnant wife drive him to work for five months, even though technically he was allowed back behind the wheel 24 hours after the incident. Magistrate Deborah Vasta said she couldn’t quite understand why he inflicted a self-imposed driving ban.
“The flow-on effect has been that your poor pregnant partner had to get up and drive you to and from work, which I think has been a lot on her,” Ms Vasta said. Terry was disqualified from driving for one month and fined $1000. Convictions were recorded.
SEPTEMBER: ISA JANE MCHARG: 0.093
Young mum Isa Jane Mcharg made a “silly decision” to get behind the wheel while over the alcohol limit following an argument, Townsville Magistrates Court heard in September.
Mcharg pleaded guilty to driving over the general alcohol limit but not over the middle alcohol limit and failing to provide a specimen for a breath test when she appeared before Magistrate Ken Taylor.
The court heard police had found Mcharg, 24, trying to leave a property on July 23 at 8.30pm but another car was blocking her in the driveway. Mcharg refused to open her car door and continued to obstruct police after she was handcuffed. She eventually provided a sample of 0.093 – almost double the limit. She was fined $800 and disqualified from driving for two months, with no convictions recorded.
AUGUST: KENNETH SESE RANDOLPH: 0.090
Kenneth Sese Randolph drank 12 beers and rum-and-coke when he was busted drink-driving in Townsville in July, Townsville Magistrates Court was told. Randolph was stopped by police driving on Ingham Rd on July 27 and registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.09.
Randolph pleaded guilty to driving over the general alcohol limit. Magistrate Viviana Keegan fined him $700 and disqualified him from driving for seven months.
JUNE: EDUARDO TOMAZ BATISTA: 0.088
Crashing his car while driving unsupervised and over the legal alcohol limit earned learner driver Eduardo Tomaz Batista a four-month disqualification period when he faced court.
Police were called to the scene of the crash on Warwick Allora Rd at 11.45am on April 9, where they found him intoxicated. Warwick Magistrates Court heard Batista recorded a BAC of 0.088 at the time, well above the zero-alcohol limit mandated for learner drivers. Batista pleaded guilty to one count each of drink driving and driving unsupervised. He was fined $750.
MAY: DANIELLE ANDREA LAWFORD 0.081
Danielle Andrea Lawford avoided jail by “the skin of her teeth” after her 10th drink-driving offence, Yeppoon Magistrates Court heard in April. The Capricorn Coast mother, 41, pleaded guilty to drink-driving while on a probationary licence.
The court heard police intercepted Lawford driving on Ben St, Yeppoon, about 1.15pm on March 14. After a random breath test, she returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.081.
Lawford told Magistrate Jason Schubert she had been going through a tough time and had been forced to leave a house to reside in a caravan with her two young children.
“You’re not going to jail today by the skin of your teeth,” he told Lawford before explaining the terms of the probation order to her. Convictions were recorded.
APRIL: LILY RHIANNON SKELTON: 0.075
Redhill woman Lily Rhiannon Skelton, who has a background in law, was caught drink driving after having multiple tequilas with a friend. Skelton, 24, pleaded guilty in Pine Rivers Magistrate Court on April 6 after being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
The court heard she was driving back from a friend’s house along Musgrave Rd when she was intercepted by police. She returned a breath analysis of 0.075 per cent, disqualified from driving for three months and fined $500. No convictions were recorded.
MARCH: JACK MICHAEL SALTER: 0.074
A mate’s winning streak on the pokies kept Jack Michael Salter at the pub longer than he planned, and ultimately led to him blowing over the legal limit in February.
Salter was pulled over on Powell St, Bowen, about 10.30pm on February 8, and breath tested.
He later blew 0.074 blood alcohol concentration and in March pleaded guilty to drink driving.
Bowen Magistrates Court heard Salter had a few drinks in the early afternoon then early evening went to the pub to give his mate a lift. But he was winning on the pokies and they stayed longer than anticipated. Salter had four Jack Daniels and cokes at the pub between 8.30pm and 10.30pm. Magistrate James Morton fined the 25-year-old truck driver $350 and disqualified his licence for one month. A conviction was recorded.
AUGUST: KAROM BIGIE DOWANI: 0.073
After having a “big drink” the previous day for his birthday celebration, L plater Karom Bigie Dowani got behind the wheel to drive to a family gathering at Pallarenda, Townsville Magistrates Court heard in August.
Dowani pleaded guilty to drink driving while on his learner’s permit. The court heard he was randomly pulled over by police and registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.073 – above the zero legal limit for a learner’s licence. Magistrate Viviana Keegan fined Dowani $350 and disqualified him from driving for three months.
MARCH: ALEC RUSSELL STEVENS AND NICHOLAS ALLEN STEVENS: 0.073
Brothers Alec Russell Stevens and Nicholas Allen Stevens were both busted drinking on the same night with the same reading after separate random breath tests on a quiet Karara road.
Warwick Magistrates Court heard in March that both brothers were stopped on Stonehenge Rd on February 26 and each recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.073. The brothers’ lawyer told the court it was simply a strange coincidence, with police prosecutor Steve de Lissa saying he had never come across such a peculiar result. Each of the brothers pleaded guilty to drink driving, and were fined $350 and disqualified from driving for one month.
No convictions were recorded.
APRIL: KATE ELLEN ALFORD: 0.071
Drink driver Kate Ellen Alford, 21, spent only three months of a three-year jail term behind bars after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of her Victorian co-worker, Amy Pilgrim.
In May, Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman decided not to appeal the sentence of Alford, who was drink driving, on P-plates, and filming a Snapchat video when she crashed the car in 2020 killing Ms Pilgrim, 23.
Ms Pilgrim’s family expressed disappointment there would be no appeal by the state after Alford pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ jail.
Alford also pleaded guilty to drink driving, for which she was sentenced to a concurrent two-year jail term and 18 months’ probation and was disqualified from driving for four years. For offences of using a mobile phone while driving and not wearing a seat belt, she was convicted but not punished.
Brisbane District court heard Alford had been drinking at a pub before getting behind the wheel of her Toyota Prado to drive herself and Ms Pilgrim 130km back to the cattle station where both worked. JMs Pilgrim died at the scene after being thrown 20m from the car, after Alford picked up her mobile to make a Snapchat video while driving. Two hours after the crash, Alford recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.071.
AUGUST: WILLIAM TRICKETT WRIGHT: 0.070
After making it to 84 without a blemish on his driving record, William Trickett Wright was busted just over the limit in Charters Towers in July. Wright pleaded guilty to driving over the general alcohol limit in Townsville Magistrates Court on August 9. The court heard Wright was driving on Gill St when he was pulled over and recorded a blood-alcohol content of 0.07. Magistrate Viviana Keegan fined him $350 and disqualified him from driving for one month, with no conviction recorded.
APRIL: CHAZ ALEXANDER BAGSTER 0.063
Chaz Alexander Bagster was disqualified from driving for a month after he was busted drink driving.
The Warwick man recorded a BAC of 0.063 when he was pulled over by police on Victoria St on April 28. Bagster pleaded guilty to drink driving and was also fined $350.
AUGUST: BENJAMIN RUSSELL CHESTERFIELD: 0.060
Benjamin Russell Chesterfield, the general manager of an Australia-wide car accident repairs company, was fined $450 and disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for two months after he registered a blood alcohol concentration level of 0.060 per cent in May.
Chesterfield pleaded guilty to driving while over the general alcohol limit, but not over the middle alcohol limit when he fronted Hervey Bay Magistrates Court in August.
The court heard Chesterfield was in town on charity work and was driving a red “$600,000 classic car” Ford Falcon, when he participated in a roadside breath test just after 5pm on May 1. A conviction was recorded and he was issued a restricted licence.
APRIL: JASMINE MAREE GUNDRY: 0.060
Off-duty police officer Jasmine Maree Gundry was caught drink driving after she left a work function at Ipswich, where she had drunk three wines, Ipswich Magistrates Court heard in April. Police prosecution said Gundry was randomly pulled over by Ipswich highway patrol at 9.37pm on Friday, April 8 along Warwick Rd at Ipswich.
The court heard Gundry’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.06, and she was upfront with the officers and admitted to drinking three wines during the evening. Gundry pleaded guilty to driving over the general alcohol limit but not the middle alcohol limit.
Magistrate Grace Kahlert said the offending was out of character for Gundry but noted she should know better. Magistrate Kahlert fined Gundry $400 and disqualified her licence for one month. No conviction was recorded.
JULY: DERMOTT JOHN WALSH 0.058
Dermott John Walsh, 37, ran into trouble driving four people home after a night on the beers watching the footy in March. He pleaded guilty to the charge of driving over the general alcohol limit but not over the middle alcohol limit while being the holder of a provisional licence, when he appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court in July.
The court heard Walsh was pulled over by police in a random intercept on Norris St, Hermit Park, on March 22 at 2.12am. After telling police he had three XXXX’s an hour-and-a-half previously, he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.058. Magistrate Steven Mosch fined him $350 for the drink driving with a three-month disqualification. Convictions were recorded.
JULY: EFIM BURUKHIN: 0.058
Efim Burukhin had a blood-alcohol content reading of 0.058 when he was intercepted driving a Mercedes Benz on the Bruce Highway at 8.05pm on June 5. He pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on July 19 to one count of drink-driving. Rockhampton Magistrates Court heard Burukhin told police he had drunk a moderate amount of alcohol before driving. Burukhin was fined $250 and disqualified from driving for one month.
MARCH: THOMAS JOHN PARRY: 0.053
Misjudging his drive home after a night out with friends landed Thomas John Parry before Warwick Magistrates Court in March, after he recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.053. The court heard Parry first caught police attention while on the New England Highway at Allora when officers noticed the front number plate falling off his vehicle. Parry pleaded guilty to drink driving, and was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for one month. No conviction was recorded.
SEPTEMBER: HARLEY JOHN CRAWFORD: 0.051
Brisbane man Harley John Crawford retold the story of his miraculous escape from death after appearing in court for driving under the influence and flipping his car while suspended from driving.
The Keperra resident pleaded guilty in Pine Rivers Magistrate Court to drink driving with a disqualified licence on September 2. The court heard the 21-year-old was driving home from a friend’s place on Bunyan Rd, when he lost control of the vehicle causing his car to become airborne and flipping before landing on its roof. Crawford escaped the crash with a dislocated ankle and damaged ribs, while the passenger was not injured.
The court heard Crawford had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.051 — just over the limit. He was convicted, given a nine-month probation order and ordered to participate in mandatory driver counselling.
NOVEMBER: JACK TIMOTHY WALTER SPARKS 0.050
Young diesel fitter Jack Timothy Walter Sparks, who got busted drink-driving in a car with only three wheels in Townsville, told a court he was trying to get home after a big night out.
Sparks, 20, pleaded guilty in Townsville Magistrates Court to two charges, including one count of dangerous operation of a vehicle and adversely affected by an intoxicating substance when he appeared in November. The car – carrying Sparks and three passengers – drove about 3km before police manoeuvred it off the road and onto an embankment. Sparks was fined $2030 and disqualified from driving for nine months. No convictions were recorded.
JULY: NICHOLAS DANIEL BURGIS: probation for two years
Nicholas Daniel Burgis lost control of his car while turning right into Jackie Howe Drive from Albion St on May 5, sliding and running along the nature trip before hitting the fence.
Warwick Magistrates Court heard the 20-year-old abandoned his “significantly damaged” car and fled the scene in a nearby ute, but his escape was short-lived and he wound up in hospital later that night, where police noted his bloodshot eyes and a strong smell of liquor.
Burgis pleaded guilty to one count each of driving under the influence, driving without due care and attention, and unlicensed driving. He was sentenced to three months’ jail, wholly suspended for nine months, and placed on probation for two years.
His licence was also disqualified for two years and three months.
JUNE: BAILEY RUTLEDGE 0.041
Driving the day after a big night out landed P-plater Bailey Rutledge in the Warwick court. Police prosecutor Andrew Grafton said the 18-year-old was nabbed at about 8pm on May 6 and recorded a BAC of 0.041 at the scene, telling officers he had consumed several rum and cokes the night before.
He apologised to the court for his actions and promised it would not happen again, with his father supporting him from the courtroom gallery.
Rutledge pleaded guilty to one count of drink driving. He was fined $300 and disqualified from driving for three months.
APRIL: RYAN JAKE DENNING
Ipswich Magistrates Court was told how Coomera man Ryan Jake Denning drunkenly drove on the wrong side of a busy motorway causing a truck to swerve.
Denning, 22, pleaded guilty on April 12 to three charges including for drink driving.
The court heard Denning was seen driving on the wrong side of the Logan Motorway at 150km/h. Police intercepted the 22-year-old walking down the side of the road at Goodna where his vehicle was found. He was sentenced to nine months’ probation, disqualified from holding a licence for seven months and fined $1000. A conviction was recorded.
MARCH: EMILY KATELYN HARM: 0.027
Emily Katelyn Harm was taken off the roads for three months after she was nabbed behind the wheel over the alcohol limit, Warwick Magistrates Court was told in March.
The P-plater was pulled over on Yangan Rd in Warwick in February, where she recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.027. The court was told it was the 20-year-old’s first time before a magistrate as she had no traffic or criminal record. Harm pleaded guilty to drink driving and was also fined $350. No conviction was recorded.
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WATCH: The inside story on how Qld’s 41st Premier rose to power
David Crisafulli is a ruthless leader who will leave behind “enemies, bruised egos and hurt feelings” according to those who know him best. Take an EXCLUSIVE behind-the-scenes look at why he was destined to be Premier, in The Sunday Mail’s exclusive documentary. WATCH NOW
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