Sujanthan Manmathan: Crestmead Uber driver guilty of drink driving
‘Slurring, unsteady, glossy eyes’: Citizen’s arrest after ‘erratic driving’ as convicted drink driver is busted again.
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A Logan Uber driver who was almost four times the legal blood alcohol limit was driving so erratically he was pulled over by a member of the public who performed a citizen’s arrest until police arrived.
Crestmead man Sujanthan Manmathan, 31, was charged with high-range drink driving for the May 21 incident.
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Beenleigh Magistrates Court heard police were on patrol in the Kingston area when they were flagged down by a member of the public on Juers St who had detained Manmathan due to his “erratic” driving at 10.42pm.
He was not on shift at the time.
When police talked to Manmathan, he was “slurring his words, unsteady on his feet, had glassy eyes and a strong smell of liquor on him”.
Manmathan told police he had consumed four drinks in the last hour-and-three-quarters.
He returned a BAC reading of 0.186 per cent.
The court heard Manmathan had a previous conviction in 2017 for mid-range drink driving (0.125 per cent BAC).
In his defence, it was submitted that Manmathan made no efforts to escape – when he was pulled up, he “stopped and waited for the boys in blue”.
The court heard Manmathan had been unable to work since the charge.
Magistrate Clare Kelly said 0.186 per cent BAC is a “significantly high reading”.
“The person who pulled you over was actually doing you a favour,” she said.
Manmathan pleaded guilty to the charge.
He was fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for 12 months. A conviction was recorded.