Paul Desmond Crawford pleads guilty at Coffs Harbour court to high-range drink driving

A man caught high-range drink driving near Coffs Harbour told a court he “shouldn’t have been driving on a Sunday” and he was “guilty of it because I was stupid”.

Paul Desmond Crawford pleaded guilty to a raft of driving charges, including a second offence of high-range drink driving.

A Dundurrabin man caught high-range drink driving near Coffs Harbour told a court he “shouldn’t have been driving on a Sunday” and he was “guilty of it because I was stupid”.

Paul Desmond Crawford tried to elude police by veering his white Suzuki across a paddock west of Coffs on January 15.

Crawford, 56, pleaded guilty via audio link to driving unlicensed, driving an unregistered and uninsured motor vehicle and high-range drink driving (second offence) when he faced Coffs Harbour Local Court on Wednesday

“I’m guilty of it because I was stupid,” Crawford told the court on March 22.

Police facts state officers were patrolling Mount St in Dundurrabin when they activated their vehicle lights and stuck an arm out the window directing the Suzuki to stop.

Crawford was taken to Dorrigo Police Station for a breath analysis and found to be more than threes times the legal alcohol limit for driving.

The driver, Crawford, failed to do so.

Police turned around and headed after the vehicle, activating their siren as the Suzuki accelerated.

The Suzuki passed a school, veered into a paddock and the driver got out of the car after it pulled up by the side of an address.

Crawford told officers he’d never held a driver’s licence, according to court documents.

Police checks revealed the Suzuki was last registered in 2018.

Crawford blew positive on a roadside breath test and was taken to Dorrigo Police Station, where he returned a follow-up reading of 0.153 – more than three times the legal limit.

Crawford told officers he had drunk six stubbies of Tooheys New that morning, police facts state.

Magistrate Theresa Hamilton adjourned the case to May 3.