Bateau Bay: Drink-driver Dylan Brown ran red light into another car before fleeing on foot
A landscaper “taking a punt” that he would get home after a day at the pub, before running a red light, crashing into another car and fleeing on foot is “lucky” to be alive, a court has heard.
Central Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Central Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A landscaper “taking a punt” that he would get home after a day at the pub, before running a red light, crashing into another car and fleeing on foot is “lucky” to be alive, a court has heard.
Dylan Christopher Brown, 34, of Bateau Bay, faced Wyong Local Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to high range drink-driving, negligent driving, running a red light and resisting police.
His lawyer, leading Central Coast criminal solicitor Bobby Locker, told the court his client was a landscaper and a tree stump grinder who had been off work for a long time with broken ribs he suffered as a result of the collision.
He said he went to the pub but then made the ill-fated decision to drive home.
An agreed set of facts states Brown had been drinking at the Bateau Bay Hotel from about midday on May 24 when he got behind the wheel of his black Holden Astra just before 8.20pm.
He was driving north on The Entrance Rd when he failed to stop at a red light and ploughed into a Nissan Dualis turning right out of Bateau Bay Rd.
The impact caused Brown to lose control and he collided with a power pole bringing down a wire but no power was lost to the surrounding area.
Police arrived and breath tested the other driver who returned a negative result.
But the facts state as officers started talking to Brown they formed the view he appeared to be affected by alcohol or drugs.
“Police began to obtain details off the accused,” the facts state.
“During this time the accused was observed to be slurring his words which made it difficult to obtain details.”
Brown underwent a roadside breath test and returned a reading of 0.205 before police tried to arrest him.
“The accused has yelled out an unknown word and began to flee from the scene down a pathway,” the facts state.
Two officers chased him and one tackled Brown to the ground while the other jumped on his back.
Brown grabbed one of the officers by the vest and wouldn’t let go with the two police yelling at him to “stop resisting”.
Police eventually got him in handcuffs and were taking him back to the scene of the crash when he has “purposely thrown himself into nearby fences a number of times”.
Police eventually got him back to Wyong Police Station where he recorded an official blood alcohol reading of 0.172.
In an unsigned, undated letter to the court Brown apologised to the other driver.
“Regrettably I have been unable to reimburse damages for the other vehicle at this time as I have been off work due to injuries sustained during detainment,” he wrote.
Brown’s solicitor, Mr Locker, said while this was his client’s second drink-driving offence following a mid-range conviction in 2012, he did not have a drinking problem.
Instead Mr Locker said Brown suffered from insomnia which affected his mental health.
Magistrate Trevor Khan said Brown thought he would “have a punt” at getting home but he was lucky he didn’t kill himself or anyone else otherwise “you would be going to jail”.
He convicted Brown of all four offences, fined him a total of $3000 and disqualified him from driving for nine months with a further 24 months on an interlock device.
He also put Brown on a 12-month community correction order.
Revealed: The 60+ top cult heroes of local rugby league in NSW
They’re the players you love to have a beer with and would run through a brick wall for. We’ve scouted wide to find the best 60+ cult heroes of local rugby league in NSW.
Read more
‘Fundraiser for Coops’: Footy community to support local stalwart
After a GoFundMe campaign was set up to support Central Coast man Matty Cooper following a cardiac arrest, the local footy community is also getting behind the much-loved father of three.
Read more