Ice-affected man crashed into boulders with dog in ute

THE 33-year-old Ballina man had already been prohibited from getting behind the wheel after being caught with ice in his system.

A man has been sentenced after he crashed his car onto a rural property in the Byron hinterland while under the influence of the drug “ice”. Picture: Richard Polden

A CUMBALUM man who was affected by the drug "ice" had his dog in his ute when he crashed on a Byron hinterland property.

David Grant Hollings, 33, was found driving an unregistered Toyota Hilux with methylamphetamine in his system on McGettigans Lane in Ewingsdale just before noon on April 24.

Police prohibited him from driving for 24 hours but he drove under the influence of ice again the following day, with serious consequences.

Police and paramedics were called to a property on Bangalow Rd in Telofa about 5am on April 25.

Hollings was driving the same vehicle, still unregistered, and later told police he "turned to look at his dog" which was in a caged area on the ute's tray before the crash.

The ute left the road and launched off an embankment, becoming airborne.

It narrowly missed two large trees and travelled down another embankment, into the front yard of a property.

There, Hollings' ute collided with two boulders which were part of a driveway retaining wall, dislodging them.

The vehicle kept going before eventually coming to a stop against a large tree stump.

The ute's registration had expired on April 15.

When Hollings faced Byron Bay Local Court on Monday, solicitor Kylie Anderson-Clarke told the court of "stressors" in his life at the time of the offences.

"Since the accident he's been abstinent," Ms Anderson-Clarke said.

"He says, really, this has been a wake-up call for him.

Magistrate Karen Stafford said it was "sheer good fortune" no one was hurt.

The court heard Hollings had an extensive traffic record including 13 prior speeding offences.

"There seems to be, until Anzac Day, a continued … reluctance to follow the traffic rules and one particular rule that was designed to ensure the safety of all motorists," Ms Stafford said.

She said public safety was "a significant factor" but noted his steps toward rehabilitation.

Hollings had pleaded guilty to driving with an illicit drug in his system and driving an unregistered vehicle from the April 24 traffic stop and pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle under the influence of a drug, failing to comply with a licence prohibition and again driving an unregistered vehicle from the following day. 

He was given an 18 month community corrections order, disqualified from driving for 18 months and fined a total of $1800.

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