David Luke Buckenara pleads guilty to speeding, drug-driving

A drug-driving scaffolder said he had finally “learned right from wrong” after being nabbed speeding with a cocktail of drugs in his system.

David Luke Buckenara. Picture: Facebook

A drug-driving scaffolder said he has finally “learned right from wrong” after being nabbed behind the wheel with a cocktail of drugs in his system.

David Luke Buckenara, 45, appeared in Geelong Magistrates Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to speeding and failing an oral fluid test.

The court heard that on December 19 last year, Buckenara was nabbed by police speeding on Corio Quay Rd.

Buckenara failed an oral fluid test, which revealed the presence of ice, MDMA and Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Delta-9 THC is the most common form of THC found in cannabis.

When told how fast he was going, the court heard Buckenara replied: “82 (km/h)? S---t, that’s a bit quick. It (the speed limit) is 60 now isn’t it?”.

When asked if had taken any illicit substances, Buckenara said: “Yeah, bro” and admitted to smoking marijuana the night before, the court was told.

The court heard he told police he’d been using cannabis since he was 14 years old.

Representing himself in court, Buckenara, who had previously been nabbed drug-driving in 2021, said he’d learned his lesson from the incident.

“Look, I think I’ve finally learnt right from wrong,” Buckenara said.

He told the court he’d since acquired an e-bike and had been riding to work, and was now regularly drug-tested due to the incident.

Magistrate Michael McNamara convicted Buckenara on the drug-driving charge and warned Buckenara to be careful using drugs in his line of work.

“It’s like driving, you don’t want to make mistakes while scaffolding,” Mr McNamara said.

Buckenara was fined a total of $700 for the two offences and disqualified from driving for 12 months.

Originally published as David Luke Buckenara pleads guilty to speeding, drug-driving