Luke McCartney was just trying to re-park his car when he was caught drink driving

The man thought he’d done the right thing by planning to stay the night.

DRINK DRIVE: A man caught drink driving was just trying to re-park his car.

A mistake at a New Year's Eve party has cost an apprentice tiler his driver's licence.

Luke McCartney, 21, had been at a party in Port Macquarie when he was spotted by police driving at an intersection in West Haven.

It was about 1.45am on January 1, 2021, when police stopped near McCartney and asked him to wind down his window to speak.

Instead, he reversed around the car and drove up the wrong side of a road island.

Police then activated their lights and pulled him over on Koonwarra Street.

They approached McCartney who appeared to be highly intoxicated, slurring his words.

Police asked if had consumed any alcohol that night and McCartney said he was just reparking his car.

A breath test revealed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.133.

McCartney pleaded guilty in Tweed Heads Local Court on Wednesday March 10, 2021, to drink driving.

Defence lawyer Joshua Boorman told the court his client had arrived at the party and parked behind several other cars on the driveway where he planned to stay the night.

 

 

Mr Boorman said his client started drinking at 6pm and had six full strength Canadian Club premix drinks.

He said McCartney decided to move his car from the driveway onto the street.

He told the court when McCartney realised the police had approached him he'd driven around to the other side of the road - all within the vicinity of 50m from the home.

He said his client accepted he should have not gone anywhere near the car and should have either not parked it there to start or left it until the morning.

"He understands he should have made better choices," Mr Boorman said.

He asked the court to consider the offence occurred late at night with no other traffic and within a short distance and that his client was genuinely remorseful.

Magistrate Michael Dakin said many serious accidents occur on short journeys.

McCartney was fined $800 and disqualified from driving for four months, back dated to the date of the offence.

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Originally published as Luke McCartney was just trying to re-park his car when he was caught drink driving