Josh Hillier, Kaden Dunbar: High Range drink drivers in Tweed Heads court

One driver had to have his keys confiscated after drink driving twice in an hour, while another missed a corner and slammed into a tree.

Two high range drink drivers have been convicted after pleading guilty in Tweed Heads Local Court on Monday.

Kaden Dunbar, 27, pleaded guilty to high range drink driving, driving while suspended and mid range drink driving.

According to court papers Dunbar, a former member of the defence force, was stopped at 1am on January 2 driving out of the Dolphins Hotel car park and onto Wharf St.

He failed to provide three samples of breath analysis.

Kaden Dunbar leaves Tweed Heads Court on March 21, 2022 after pleading guilty to High Range drink driving.

Dunbar told police he’d been drinking cocktails from shared jugs from about 6pm on January 1 and had his final drink at midnight, only eating chips and gravy.

He returned a reading of 0.168.

He was immediately suspended from driving and police assisted him in ordering a taxi.

A short time later he was seen to enter a car parked outside Liquorland on Wharf St.

He drove south on Wharf St and was pulled over outside the bowls club.

He was arrested again and returned a reading of 0.142 before police confiscated his keys.

Defence lawyer Phil Mulherin said after his client was released the first time while waiting for the taxi he could still see his car.

He said Dunbar, now a bartender, had tried to do the right thing but had trouble getting a cab.

Mr Mulherin asked the court to consider the short distance travelled before apprehension on both occasions.

Dunbar was convicted, fined $1000 and sentenced to a two-year community corrections order with 50 hours community service.

He was disqualified from driving for the minimum driving and interlock period for each offence.

Josh Hillier, 30, also pleaded guilty in Tweed Heads Local Court to high range drink driving.

According to court papers Hillier was driving on Glenarvon Road, Neville about 100km an hour when he missed a turn leaving the road and crashing into a tree about 7pm on June 3, 2021.

He suffered a large cut to his left hand and other injuries on impact before he was taken to Orange Base Hospital.

Hillier said at the scene he was drinking at a friend’s house and had one and a half bottles of spirits before taking control of the vehicle.

A blood sample returned a reading of 0.170.

Defence lawyer Cara Maynard said Hillier had suffered a concussion during the crash, making his memory of why he was driving “foggy at best.”

She said her client’s job as a youth worker had recently been taking a mental toll on him.

Ms Maynard said he also had a number of mental health diagnoses following a difficult childhood.

She said Hillier, now living in Townsville, had managed to stay drug and alcohol free since the crash.

Hillier was convicted and fined $1500 and sentenced to a three year community corrections order.

He was disqualified for the minimum driving and interlock periods.