Navy officer Brendan Read was four times the limit when he crashed in Sydney’s eastern suburbs
A Navy officer was “cold” and “just wanted to get home” when he jumped in his car and headed home in September this year. The only problem was he’d just sunk 10 beers.
Central Sydney
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A Navy officer who smashed into a parked car told police he thought he was “OK to drive” having downed 10 beers.
Brendan Read had said he was “cold” and “just wanted to get home” when he slammed his black Holden into a parked car on Old South Head Rd, Vaucluse at about midnight on September 7.
The “compliant and helpful” 28-year-old blew 0.197 in a roadside breath test – nearly four times the legal limit
He then returned a sample of 0.167 at Waverley police station.
Friday was the fourth time Read’s matter has been listed for sentence, with the Navy officer based at Watsons Bay failing to appear on the previous three occasions.
After reading through the agreed facts, Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge told Read at Downing Centre Local Court she understood his reluctance to front up.
“I understand why you didn’t want to come here,” she said.
“A simple fine is not going to be the outcome for you today.”
He had entered a written plea of guilty to high-range drink driving before his first scheduled appearance on September 27.
According to police facts, the Able Seaman had recently moved from Queensland to Sydney for work before he had too much to drink and decided to drive back to base.
He was travelling at about 50km/h when his mobile phone alarm sounded, “distracting him”, and he lost control.
“The accused veered to the left hand side of the road where it collided with a white Toyota … that was parked alongside the kerb,” the facts state.
“The accused was trapped for a short time before being removed by a witness.”
The Toyota sustained a large amount of damage to its rear, while Read’s Holden had heavy damage to its front passenger side.
When police arrived they found Read sitting on a fence, where he made “full admissions” and showed “remorse for his actions”.
“I’ve had about 10 drinks tonight,” Read told police.
“I was cold and I just wanted to get home, I made the wrong decision.
“I thought I was OK to drive.”
On Friday the combat systems operator told the court he was going through a “tough time” having been forced to leave his partner in Brisbane when he moved south on August 24.
His employer of nine years, the Royal Australian Navy, had made clear its opinion of his drunken jaunt. “Not good,” he said.
Magistrate Milledge convicted Read and sentenced him to a two-year good behaviour bond, 100 hours of community service and disqualified him from driving for six months backdated to the night of the crash.
Read will also need to complete a two-year interlock period when his disqualification ends.
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