Dam Hotel: Jacob Owens, 25, blew 0.179 after crashing through fence following boozy work drinks

A landscaper rearranged the front yard of two houses after a boozy night at the pub before blowing more than three times the limit for a fully licensed driver, a court has heard.

Jacob Owens, 25, arriving at Wyong Local Court where he pleaded guilty after crashing through a fence about 11.10pm on August 2 on Oleander St, Noraville, after drinking at the Dam Hotel.

A P-plater ploughed through a fence after a boozy night at the pub before returning a massive high-range drink-diving reading.

Jacob Owens, of The Entrance, faced Wyong Local Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to one count of high-range drink-driving.

The 25-year-old’s lawyer, leading Central Coast criminal solicitor Bobby Locker, told the court his client had gone to the Dam Hotel at Hamlyn Terrace for a drink after work with colleagues but never intended to stay long.

Mr Locker said one thing led to another and Owens, a landscaper, ended up having too many drinks before making the regrettable decision to drive home.

An agreed set of facts states emergency services were called to Oleander St, Noraville, at 11.10pm on August 2 after reports a black Great Wall utility had crashed into a parked car before ricocheting into a fence.

Quite the mess. It was a good thing Owens was a landscaper because his wild ride caused significant damage to the fence and gardens of the houses. Picture: NSW Police

“The accused’s vehicle has continued further left, leaving the roadway completely and impacting heavily with the property dividing fence between houses 68 and 70 Oleander St,” the facts state.

“The impact of the collision has completely destroyed the property dividing fence and caused significant damage to the security wall external to 68 Oleander St.”

Owens will be catching the bus for six months after being convicted of high-range drink-driving. Picture: NewsLocal

Owens identified himself to police as the driver and he failed a roadside breath test before being taken to Toukley Police Station where he recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.179.

Mr Locker said Owens was a landscaper who used his skills to fix the dividing fence between the two properties at his own expense.

He said Owens had completed the traffic offenders course and had also paid the owner of the car he hit $2,000 which was the agreed “market value” of that vehicle.

Magistrate Robert Munro said Owens was lucky not to have killed himself or someone else and that as a P-plate driver his alcohol limit was “supposed to be zero”.

He convicted Owens and fined him $1200, put him on a community corrections order for 12 months and disqualified him from driving for six months with a further 24 months on an interlock device.

“Mr Owens you cannot afford another one of these (incidents),” Mr Munro told him.