Man who killed dad in car crash sentenced on more traffic charges
He killed his father in a car crash while affected by drugs, but the tragedy wasn’t enough to teach this driver a lesson.
Moreton
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He killed his father when he crashed their car while driving on a cocktail of drugs but the tragedy was not enough to stop a north Brisbane man drug driving again.
Robert Glen Hallet, 59, narrowly avoided a return to jail Friday after pleading guilty to a list of driving and dishonesty offences.
Caboolture Magistrates Court heard Hallett was caught by police driving in Burpengary East on December 13, 2019, with drugs in his system and while his licence was disqualified by a court order.
He also pleaded guilty to four counts of fraudulently using a bank card and receiving tainted property on February 13, 2019, at Kippa Ring.
The court heard Hallett had accumulated an 11-page traffic history which included driving under the influence and more than 24 counts of disqualified driving.
It also included one count of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing the death of his father while affected by drugs on the Bruce Highway near Morayfield in 2007.
Hallett was sentenced in December 2008 in Brisbane District Court to a seven-year jail sentence, with eligibility of parole after serving two years and four months.
But on Friday he fronted court again.
The court heard Hallett continuously changed his story with police about why he was once again driving without a licence but police labelled it as “blatantly disobeying court orders”.
Hallett appeared without a lawyer, telling the court he had spent time completing a Court Link assistance program and was changing his life.
Magistrate James Blanch told Hallett “you need to own up, take responsibility”.
“You knew you were disqualified when you drove,” he said.
The court heard Hallett had been dealt with in February last year for a charge of disqualified driving — just 10 months before he was caught doing so again.
“You just don’t get it,” Magistrate Blanch said.
“You have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment on several occasions (for disqualified driving).”
He said Hallett’s dedication to the Court Link program was the “only thing” that had kept him form returning to a cell Friday.
Hallett pleaded guilty to all changes and was sentenced to six months jail with immediate parole for disqualified driving.
He was also disqualified from driving for one month for drug driving and fined $1400 for drug driving and the dishonesty offences.
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