Sydney Uni hockey player Connor Tuddenham drove drunk through Bowral

A teenage hockey star on his P-plates jumped out of the car he was driving and ran towards a church after a night out drinking too many vodka raspberries.

A teenage hockey star was slammed in court for his “stupidity” in deciding to drive with two mates squashed into the boot after a heavy night drinking vodka raspberries.

Connor Tuddenham, 19, appeared in Moss Vale Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to high-range drink driving and driving with persons in the boot of the car.

The Moss Vale resident was driving through Bowral on May 1 when police spotted his car and signalled at him to pull over.

Despite the flashing lights, Tuddenham sped off and took a sharp right onto Wingecarribee Street, where the car mounted the gutter, court documents state.

Connor Tuddenham pleaded guilty to high range drink driving with four passengers.

Police then saw the offender open the driver’s door and run towards the church, where they apprehended him trying to jump a fence. There were also two passengers seen fleeing the car.

While on scene, police could hear banging and someone calling “help”.

According to court documents, they found two “highly intoxicated” young men squashed into the boot, who had to be helped to stand because they were so drunk.

At the police station Tuddenham returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.195, nearly four times the legal drinking limit, despite not being able to drink at all as a P-plater.

He admitted to police he couldn’t remember how many vodka raspberries he’d had at a Bowral pub, and proceeded to vomit on the walls and floor of several docks at the police station.

Tuddenham’s lawyer Michael Doughty blamed heavy drinking for the teenager’s actions, which he said were completely at odds with his usual behaviour.

Connor Tuddenham was supported in court by his father.

“He had so much alcohol he wasn’t thinking completely rationally,” he said.

“It was a spontaneous decision but a very bad one.”

The court heard Tuddenham is an up-and-coming hockey star who plays for Sydney University and has recently been accepted into the NSW under 21 hockey team.

Mr Doughty said his client’s athletic dedication means he isn’t used to drinking with his mates.

“One of his referees thinks he has the capacity to play for Australia,” he said.

“Alcohol and going out all night is not part of his regular routine.”

Magistrate Mark Douglass slammed the “stupidity” of the decision to drive in such dangerous circumstances and said it showed “behavioural and cognitive immaturity”. He told the Moss Vale teen it could have easily been a situation requiring a coroner.

Rising hockey star Connor Tuddenham will have to juggle hockey, work, and community service.

“You made a very bad decision,” he told Tuddenham.

“The court cannot dilute just how serious this was.”

While he ultimately determined the teen was “a person of excellent character”, Magistrate Douglass urged the offender to reconsider his priorities in decision making.

“Think about who’s at court today. Not your mates,” he said.

He sentenced Tuddenham to a year-long community corrections order and 75 hours of community service. He also imposed a two-year period of interlock on the offender’s car and fined him $500.