Thornlands man drives 50 km in wrong direction after 7-8 beers and bite out of vodka bottle

A court has heard a man was so heavily under the influence he drove 50km in the wrong direction while another downed 30 alcoholic drinks before hitting the road.

A fly-in-fly-out miner intending to drive from the airport to Victoria Point told a court he was so drunk he ended up “on the other side of the city” and could remember little of the journey.

It was but one of multiple cases of middle and high-range drink driving offences admitted to at Cleveland Magistrates Court on Monday.

Peter Matti Pakarinen, 38, told the court he was “just happy no one else was hurt” after he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of liquor.

Observed swerving in his Holden at around 1.28am on November 28 at Everton Hills, the Thornlands man was eventually intercepted by police.

Peter Matti Pakarinen at Cleveland Magistrates Court, after pleading guilty to high-range drink driving. Picture: Marcel Baum

The court heard the excavator operator had drunk seven to eight beers with colleagues at a new mine site before swapping to a bottle of vodka while in the air.

Unrepresented, the defendant told the court he had seen both a psychiatrist and a general practitioner to control his alcohol intake.

Pakarinen was fined $3000 and disqualified from driving for nine months.

Churchill man Colin Raymond Graham, 40, would admit to police to having consumed “around” 30 alcoholic drinks before being found slumped over the centre console of his vehicle.

Parked “haphazardly” on Old Cleveland Road in Capalaba at around 12.40am on December 28 it took some time for the man to regain consciousness.

Colin Graham leaves Cleveland Magistrates Court with a mate a after admitting to having drunk around 30 drinks before driving in December last year. Picture: Marcel Baum

Taken to a hospital for treatment of a pre-existing condition he eventually tested to a blood-alcohol level of 0.184 per cent – nearly four times the legal limit – when he sobered enough to communicate with police.

The defendant told the court he had been at a family gathering and had not intended to drive on the day.

Graham was fined $1,500 and disqualified from driving for six months.

And Redland Bay man Simon David Skewes, 40, pleaded guilty to being in charge of a motor vehicle while over the middle alcohol limit.

Tests would confirm Skewes had a blood-alcohol reading of 0.107 per cent when observed sitting behind the wheel, with ignition on, at around 2.15am on November 29.

The defendant told the court he merely turned over the engine to keep a “dodgy” battery charged.

With no history of drink driving Skewes was fined $400 and disqualified from driving for three months.

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