Refugee Mehari Ghebremarium guilty of Park Beach drink driving

“It was by pure luck no one was injured or killed” a court heard when sentencing a man who smashed into four cars and a power pole after drinking home brew.

Mehari Araya Ghebremarium was sentenced at Coffs Harbour court on Monday for drink driving.

An African refugee, who has very little memory of crashing into four cars and a power pole after drinking local brew at a party, has fronted court over the incident.

Mehari Araya Ghebremarium pleaded guilty in Coffs Harbour Local Court on Monday to driving with a middle range concentration of alcohol on January 9.

Magistrate Ian Rodgers told the court it was a very serious drink driving matter.

He said Ghebremarium’s reading of 0.144 was “right at the top of mid range - nearly three times the legal limit”.

The court heard the 56-year-old was a refugee from the northeast African nation of Eritrea. He came to Australia in 2014 and had become an Australian citizen.

Ghebremarium works at Sawtell Catholic Care and references tendered to the court indicated he was hard working, honest and reliable.

The court heard he went to a party with other members of the Eritrean community and drank a locally brewed drink with no indication of the percentage of alcohol on January 9.

Ghebremarium drove along San Francisco Avenue in the Park Beach area just after midnight and crashed into a parked car, damaging it to such an extent it couldn’t be driven away.

The court heard he then crashed into a power pole - hitting it with such force splinters of wood were strewn across the road and he rebounded into another car which also could not be driven away.

Mr Rodgers told the court he then drove away and travelled south along the Pacific Highway before mounting the kerb where he was found sitting next to his vehicle.

He said Ghebremarium was very highly regarded and was “clearly contributing to our community” through his work with Sawtell Catholic Care but he had to take into account the extreme risk posed to the community.

“It was by pure luck no one was injured or killed,” Mr Rodgers said.

Ghebremarium’s lawyer told the court her client was “not normally one who drinks” and he was extremely remorseful, embarrassed and ashamed and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

She told the court he provided for his family who were still in Eritrea.

Ghebremarium was convicted and sentenced to a six-month intensive correction order and 50 hours of community service work.

He was also disqualified from driving for three months to be followed by a 12-month interlock period.