Qld’s most shocking drink drivers of 2023: Full list of names and details
Queensland’s battle against drink driving is far from over, as these cases prove. Here are some of the most shocking incidents of 2023 so far.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Drink driving remains the scourge of police, and Queensland isn’t immune.
These are stories of some of the most shocking high-range drink drivers who fronted court across the state in 2023.
NO CONVICTION
BEERS WITH MATES PROVE COSTLY
A “few beers” with mates before driving home led to a 22-year-old man blowing a breath alcohol reading more than three times the legal limit after he was pulled over by police on a Toowoomba street.
Michael Riley Crane had been spotted by a police patrol about 11.10pm, December 13, 2022, driving erratically and swerving “all over the road” on Ruthven St south, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told.
Pulled over by police on nearby Alderley St, Crane told the officers he had been drinking earlier that night and he was driving back to his accommodation after a “few beers” with mates, police prosecutor Chris Willson told the court.
The 22-year-old blew a breath/alcohol reading of 0.162, Senior Constable Willson said.
The self-represented Crane on January 27 pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor.
A less than impressed magistrate Kay Philipson told Crane he was lucky he hadn’t crashed his car, given his high reading, and that he should have known he was well over the limit before getting into his car.
Taking into account his youth and early plea of guilty, Ms Philipson ordered the conviction not be recorded and fined Crane $500 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for six months.
‘A WONDER SHE WAS STILL ALIVE’
A woman who recorded a blood alcohol reading more than six times the legal limit prompted a Cairns magistrate to observe it was “a wonder she was still alive”.
The court heard that Shreejana Bhandari, 24 and unemployed, left Cazalys Cairns on Mulgrave Rd at 12.20am on January 16 and collided with another vehicle in the carpark.
Bhandari pleaded guilty to one charge of driving under the influence in the Cairns Magistrates Court on February 1.
Police attended and a witness told them that she had hit the car in front of her in the car park. Police prosecutor Senior Constable Olivier Claes presented her one-page driving history and told the court police who attended noticed she was glassy-eyed and unsteady on her feet.
Police breath-tested her and found her blood alcohol reading to be 0.315.
Mr Claes repeated that reading to the court.
“It’s a wonder she was still alive,” Magistrate Sandra Pearson said.
Bhandari told police she had drunk two glasses of wine the night before at 6pm and 7.30pm, the court heard, but had not eaten anything.
Ms Pearson said she had taken into account Bhandari’s honesty and plea of guilty.
“You had an accident and no doubt you’re going to have to pay for the cost of the damage,” she said.
The minimum driving disqualification is for six months, and Ms Pearson disqualified Bhandari’s license for 12 months and imposed a fine of $1000.
She also told Ms Bhandari that when she could drive again she would have to have an alcohol interlock device fitted to her car.
BUILDER ‘LUCKY’ HE DIDN’T HURT OTHERS
A Toowoomba magistrate told a local builder on April 19 he was lucky he did not kill himself or innocent bystanders after he drove with a blood-alcohol level of 0.219 and crashed head-on into another vehicle.
Craig Robert Pettiford fronted Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Wednesday, April 19, where he pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence along Ruthven St.
Police prosecutor Rohan Brewster-Webb said Pettiford crashed head-on into another car at about 10.40pm on January 26 after leaving the Southern Hotel.
A person from the other car was rushed to hospital following the crash, but their injuries were not detailed in court.
Mr Brewster-Webb said the builder told officers he was about to drive his mates home – which was an hour’s drive from Toowoomba.
The court was told Pettiford had two pages of traffic history and was caught drink drinking in 2020.
Traffic lawyer Andrew Wiseman said the father of four completed a traffic offenders program following the crash and the loss of license would impact his income and building business.
Pettiford was fined $1500 and disqualified from driving for nine months.
WOMAN’S ERRATIC DRIVING LEADS TO ARREST
Michaela May, 39, had a blood-alcohol content reading of .201 when police intercepted her driving on Fitzroy St in the early hours of the morning on November 27 after witnesses waved police down.
May pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on January 17 to one count of high-range drink driving, which led to her driving erratically down the wrong side of the street and drifting across lanes.
Police prosecutor Clancy Fox said police had been waved down by witnesses about a car driving down the wrong side of the street.
He said police tracked down the vehicle, driven by May, and observed her struggling to keep the vehicle in between the lines and “drift across a number of lanes”.
Mr Fox said May continued driving despite police activating lights and sirens but police were able to intercept her when she pulled up at a set of lights.
May’s licence had been immediately suspended after her interception. She was fined $1200 and disqualified from driving for seven months.
Drunk mum trashes BMW and family home
A mother of three who “fanged it up” a Gold Coast road on the wrong side and crashed into a family home, told the court her foolish actions resulted in her BMW being written off.
Cherith Minute Corina Rakete pleaded guilty on January 11 at Southport Magistrate’s Court to drink driving after a dramatic collision in Pimpama on November 21.
Police prosecutor sergeant James Pedlow said a black Mercedes Benz was spotted on Hurley St “crossing the median strip, accelerating down Village Bvd on the wrong side of the road, before mounting the footpath and slamming into the front of a house”.
A tradie who witnessed the collision at the time described that morning as “f***ing eventful”, claiming “the Mercedes f***ing fanged it up the f***ing roundabout … hit the island, fishtailed” and almost “nailed” his own car.
The court heard Rakete smashed through “a concrete garden bed and came to a stop halfway through the front of the house” on the street corner.
When police arrived, the 32-year-old driver claimed “she had to swerve out of the way of an oncoming car”.
The prosecution said Rakete was emitting a “strong smell of alcohol”, with “slurred speech”, “glassy, watery eyes and dilated pupils”.
A road side breath test returned a positive reading but, the prosecution was unable to present the exact details of Rakete’s test. Magistrate Deborah Vasta asked the Beenleigh mum if she remembered what the reading was, to which Rakete replied “very high”.
It was agreed she blew higher than 0.15.
A 12-month probation order was handed down.
Rakete was also disqualified from driving for the mandatory minimum period of six months and will need to install an interlock device in her new vehicle.
DRUNK DAD PASSES OUT AT THE WHEEL
A father of six narrowly escaped jail after being caught drink driving for the fourth time after he was found passed out behind the wheel and more than three times the legal limit.
Tureiti Tahana pleaded guilty in Southport Magistrates Court on January 10 to driving while under the influence of alcohol and not holding a licence (having driven unlicensed before) after the incident on December 5.
The court was told police responded to calls about “a collapsed male” on Beach Rd, Surfers Paradise.
Prosecutor Qin Lee said police obtained CCTV of Tahana driving a vehicle along the busy stretch where he was later found “unresponsive” and “unconscious” in the driver’s seat.
Responding officers noticed “a closed bottle of liquor in the centre console” and that the driver’s side window was “smashed” in the corner.
Ms Lee told the court that police “observed (Tahana) to be extremely slow in movement with bloodshot eyes”.
The driver struggled to “accurately comprehend police instructions” due to his level of intoxication, evident in the “strong smell of liquor” police noticed. Tahana also “fumbled” and dropped his keys while speaking with authorities.
The prosecution said Tahana did not have a valid licence at the time.
A roadside breath test returned a positive result, with the driver blowing 0.155 – more than three times the legal limit.
Magistrate Vasta described Tahana’s traffic history as “disgusting”.
The magistrate reminded Tahana this was the third “high-level drink driving” offence he’s committed in five years – the fourth in six years – before handing down a three-month jail sentence wholly suspended for 18 months.
Tahana was also disqualified from driving for two years.
BOOZY ARVO LEADS MUM TO CRASH
A Granite Belt mum who got behind the wheel after a boozy afternoon, crashing her car in the process, faced court on March 9.
Amanda Jane Jolly pleaded guilty in Stanthorpe Magistrates Court to high range drink driving.
The 34-year-old, who represented herself, told the court she was “very regretful” and had “full acknowledgment” of her actions.
The court was told that on December 29, 2022, police responded to a single vehicle crash in the afternoon on Old Warwick Rd, The Summit, and quickly identified Jolly as the driver of the vehicle.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Andrew Grafton said when officers arrived on the scene they saw the vehicle “on its side” and Jolly was taken into custody provide a blood sample.
The teacher’s aide student returned a reading of 0.183, and claimed the reason for the trip was to get medication for her son.
“I had to run and get my son’s medication, that’s the only reason I put myself in that situation,” Jolly told magistrate Virginia Sturgess.
“I see you have some high-range drink driving before, do you have a problem with alcohol?” Ms Sturgess said.
Jolly denied the suggestion, and said she “likes a drink from time to time”.
Ms Sturgess told Jolly she was “concerned” regarding her traffic history, in particular two other high-range offences, and Jolly “should well and truly know the risks and consequences of driving with this much alcohol on board”.
Jolly received a $1200 fine, was disqualified from driving for eight months and was subject to an interlock device.
DRIVER MORE THAN FOUR TIMES THE LIMIT
A court was told on May 3 that a woman who crashed her Suzuki Swift at a Toowoomba service station had a blood alcohol level more than four times over the legal limit.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Kinsley Weir said the driver, Linda Jane Black, first came to the attention of police when they noticed her car moving slowly along Main St at Westbrook, before turning into the entrance of a 7-Eleven and McDonald’s.
Senior Constable Weir said Black suddenly accelerated and smashed into a metal barrier that protected the fuel pump.
The court was told Black was trapped in the car before she was transported to hospital with minor bruising, where she was monitored overnight due to her level of intoxication.
Senior Constable Weir said Black’s blood was analysed at the hospital and showed she had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.236.
The court also was told Black had taken significant steps to address her mental health and addiction issues which contributed to the incident, and that Black was committed to continuing to access support in Melbourne.
Black pleaded guilty to driving under the influence on October 19, 2022, and was fined $800 and disqualified from driving for six months.
No conviction was recorded.
CONVICTION
HIGH RANGE DRINK DRIVER FOUND SNOOZING ON HIGHWAY
Police found a woman asleep behind the wheel in a highway breakdown lane near Ballina with the transmission still in drive after reports about her dangerous driving, a court heard on February 20.
Alice Wanda Bunting, 40, pleaded guilty at Ballina Local Court court to high range drink driving after blowing 0.252 – more than five times the legal alcohol limit for driving.
Two people reported the Sunshine Coast woman’s vehicle “swerving” onto the wrong side of the Pacific Highway, “brake checking” as well as “driving too close to the barriers” and other cars, police documents state.
Bunting drove her Kia Sportage from Lennox Head to Ballina before stopping at a BP truck stop and getting back onto the Pacific Highway on November 2 last year.
Police found Bunting in a breakdown lane near Ballina asleep with the ignition left on and the transmission still in drive, police facts state.
She took a breath test and recorded 0.252.
An empty bottle of wine was next to her in the centre console.
“Although Bunting was compliant and apologetic for her actions she appeared well-affected by alcohol,” police state.
Magistrate Karen Stafford told the court on Thursday “there was a great deal of erratic driving”.
The court heard Bunting had a history of speeding offences in Victoria and Queensland.
Ms Stafford fined Bunting $2000 and sentenced her to a three-year community corrections order with supervision.
Bunting’s licence was disqualified for six months, a conviction was recorded and she was ordered to take part in the Alcohol Interlock Program for two years.
Movie, wine and KFC blamed for mum’s error
A 50-year-old Burnside mum revealed what sparked her high blood-alcohol reading before lashing out at reporters outside the courtroom.
Jennifer Leigh Derksen pleaded guilty in the Nambour Magistrates Court on February 20 to one count of high-range drink-driving, after claiming she downed a bottle of wine at the movies and was on her way to get KFC when she was busted.
Police prosecutor Lee Allan said the 50-year-old Burnside woman was involved in a two-car crash on Lamington Tce about 4.20pm on December 30.
Senior Constable Allan said police officers noticed the woman’s speech was slurred, she smelt “strongly” of alcohol and she needed help to the ambulance.
A blood test returned a reading of 0.419 per cent.
Magistrate Raelene Ellis said she “was just not sure” she accepted Derksen’s version of events.
“0.4 is verging on death,” she said. “You don’t verge on death after a bottle of wine.”
Duty lawyer Katie Paterson said her client was on a waitlist for a detox program. The magistrate gave Derksen nine months’ jail, with immediate parole, and disqualified her from driving for five years.
A conviction was recorded.
Man charged with murder after mother dies in wake of alleged assault
A man is facing an upgraded charge of murder after his mother died in the wake of an alleged serious domestic violence assault in August.
‘Should I f— with her’: Rape accused’s alleged texts shared with court
A jury has retired to deliberate on a verdict for two men accused of rape following a night out in Brisbane after alleged texts from one of the men to a friend were shared with the court.