James Alexander StClair convicted after wild drive at Urunga

Tyres smoking, the silver Commodore hurtled the wrong way down a one-way street before fishtailing, mounting a gutter and hitting a tree. How it played out in court.

A concreter has fallen on hard times after birthday drinks led to a 50-metre long burnout and a car ending down an embankment on a golf course.

Coffs Harbour Local Court heard that James Alexander StClair had totalled his $14,000 Holden Commodore and lost his job working for a Port Macquarie pool builder as a result of the June 11 incident.

“This was just a binge drink and an act of stupidity,” defence lawyer Kinloch Oliver told the court.

Mr Oliver said StClair “realises what an idiot he’s been”.

On July 20, the court heard that StClair, 31, had gone to the Ocean View Hotel at Urunga, and joined friends who were celebrating a birthday.

Mr Oliver said his client had consumed an amount of alcohol and had not eaten.

According to the police facts, StClair and another male had left the pub and shortly before 5pm with StClair at the wheel of his silver Holden, they had driven along Morgo St, doing a burnout.

StClair then turned into North Street - going the wrong way in a one-way street - doing a burnout for 50 metres, according to police.

The Commodore had then fishtailed, mounted a gutter, hit a tree, and wound up down an embankment on Urunga Golf Course, the facts said.

Unhurt, StClair was walking toward the local police station, when he was arrested en route by an off-duty Urunga lockup keeper.

The police facts said StClair, of Hyland Park near Nambucca Heads, said: “I’m gone, I’m pissed”.

StClair was taken to Bellingen Police Station where he returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.134.

Magistrate Ian Rodgers said while no one had been injured in the incident, StClair had narrowly missed colliding with a number of parked cars.

StClair pleaded guilty to drive with middle range PCA first offence and to drive recklessly/furiously or speed/manner dangerous first offence.

Mr Rodgers convicted him on both, fining StClair $1000 on the drink driving charge. For driving recklessly, StClair was sentenced to a six-month intensive corrections order and ordered to complete the Traffic Offenders Program.

He also received a 12-month licence disqualification.