Luke Anthony Woods: Tinder drink-driver threatened mum ‘I’ll burn the house down’

A Central Coast man who made headlines when he blew nearly four times the limit after rolling his car in a ditch while checking Tinder, has landed back in court for threatening his mum.

A man who narrowly avoided jail for his fifth drink-driving offence when he rolled his car into a ditch and became stuck while swiping for potential dates on the matchmaking app Tinder has found himself in custody for threatening his mum and taking a photo in court.

Luke Anthony Woods, 38, of Chain Valley Bay, appeared via video link at Gosford District Court on Wednesday where he appealed the severity of his nine-month jail sentence.

The court heard there was a domestic apprehended violence order in place to protect his mother when Woods began messaging her through Facebook on November 8 to give him some money.

When his mother did not respond Woods rang her at 9.45am and started threatening her “do it now or I’ll burn the house down”.

Woods threatened his mum when she refused to give him some money. Picture; Facebook

The court heard Woods’ mother was concerned that because of his “unpredictable nature” he might follow through with the threat and turned the phone on speaker when her husband arrived home from work so he could hear the threats as well.

Shortly after midday Woods’ mother and her husband attended Wyong Police Station where they reported the threats.

At 9.40pm Tuggerah Lakes police saw Woods on a push bike and arrested him.

An agreed set of facts states Woods was at Wyong Local Court a few days later when he was seen to use his mobile phone to take a photograph of the courtroom, including the sitting magistrate, and text it to a friend.

Court officers grabbed Woods and took him outside where he “made admissions” to taking the photo and sending it to a friend who had asked him what he was up to, despite signs around the court complex banning the use of recording devices.

Woods took a photo of the magistrate in Wyong Local Court and texted it to a friend. Picture: file image.

He later pleaded guilty to breaching his AVO and intimidating his mum, along with using a recording device in court and transmitting an image to a person outside court.

He was sentenced to 12 months jail with a non-parole period of nine months.

Woods appealed the severity of his sentence with his Legal Aid solicitor submitting the indicative terms of three months for each of the courtroom offences was excessive.

Judge Tanya Bright said she was satisfied there was “no malice intended” by the taking or sending the photo and the offences were at the “lower end” of seriousness.

Judge Bright upheld the appeal and reduced the total sentence to nine months with a non-parole period of six month.

The court heard Woods was using cannabis at the time of the offending and his mother was in control of his finances “so he wouldn’t buy drugs”.

Woods leaves Wyong Local Court after pleading guilty to his fifth drink-driving offence. Picture: NewsLocal

It comes after Woods made headlines in 2019 when he was convicted of his fifth drink-driving offence.

A concerned motorist called police when they saw a car stuck in a ditch by the side of Chain Valley Bay Rd about 10.30pm on June 6, 2019.

Police arrived and Woods told them he had pulled over to check his Tinder app when the car rolled backwards and became stuck.

He failed a roadside breath test and later recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.188.

Woods was sentenced to an intensive corrections order for seven months after a court heard it was his fifth drink-driving conviction.