Sydney drink drivers revealed in court

Fed-up local magistrates are doling out stern lectures, steep fines and threats of full-time imprisonment to Sydney drink drivers who flout the law.

Drink drivers are copping stern lectures, eye-watering fines and in some cases narrowly avoiding jail time for flouting NSW’s drink-driving laws.

At Downing Centre Local Court on July 6, Magistrate Megan Greenwood openly despaired at the endless stream of drink drivers before her despite clear government communication about the dangers and legal consequences of such conduct.

The man standing before her at the time – Zetland interior designer Bryan Baz – had been caught drink driving twice in three weeks, and in one case at a whopping seven times the legal limit.

Baz was just one of several people of otherwise good character – no criminal record, otherwise unknown to police – who wound up before the court solely due to drink-driving, leaving magistrates frustrated that the message is not getting through.

Whether they were still intoxicated from the night before, forgot to eat food or left a trail of destruction in their wake – these are the consequences meted out to a recent string of drink drivers.

BRYAN BAZ – SEVEN TIMES THE LIMIT

An interior designer found slumped over his steering wheel in a Zetland parking garage had been drink driving at a whopping seven times the legal blood alcohol limit, a court has heard.

Bryan Baz, 41, was charged with high-range drink driving on January 15 and again – just three weeks later – on February 9 with two eye-wateringly high readings.

On the first occasion, Baz was taken to hospital due to his intoxication, where tests revealed a shocking 0.359 blood alcohol concentration.

Just three weeks later on February 9, police directed Baz to pull over on Elizabeth St in Zetland for a random breath test around 10am, where he blew 0.182 – more than three times the legal limit.

Bryan Baz, 41.

Baz pleaded guilty to both offences at Downing Centre Local Court on July 6 and narrowly avoided full-time imprisonment as Magistrate Megan Greenwood sentenced him to a 12-month intensive corrections order for the 0.359 incident.

He also received a two-year community corrections order for the 0.182 incident.

“You were stopped by police and charged and yet a few weeks later – three weeks later – there you are again,” Ms Greenwood said.

“What more can the government do when it comes to the risk of drink driving?”

He was disqualified from driving for six months, fined $700 and will also have to be supervised by Community Corrections and abstain from alcohol completely for two years.

LISA ALEXANDER – CAUGHT ON THE SCHOOL RUN

An eastern suburbs woman who crashed her Mercedes into multiple parked cars following a boozy lunch with other school mothers made a tearful appearance in court.

Bellevue Hill woman Lisa Alexander, 52, was charged with mid-range drink driving after a crash which took out a box trailer, an Audi, a Lexus and a Toyota Yaris parked on a ritzy Vaucluse street on May 6.

Agreed police facts tendered to Downing Centre Local Court state Alexander crashed into the trailer, which hit an Audi, which then hit a Lexus – before she hit the Yaris and came to a halt.

There was a child in the front seat at the time and the airbags deployed before Alexander retreated to a friend’s house in shock.

Lisa Alexander, 52.

Police attended the scene at Alexander’s friend’s request and a subsequent breath test returned a mid-range reading of 0.083.

“The accused stated she had five champagnes and one vodka at Empire Lounge before going to pick up her son from school,” police facts state.

Alexander pleaded guilty to the offence and Magistrate Susan McIntyre convicted her, fined her $1000 and disqualified her licence for three months.

“At 0.083, you’re drunk,” Ms McIntyre told Alexander.

“I have to send a strong message to the community that this kind of driving and alcohol affectation is illegal and it carries a jail sentence.”

The court heard Alexander had been drinking with other mothers from a Rose Bay school prior to the accident.

ADAM HASAN – HIGH PRICE FOR DRINK DRIVING

A Sydney man caught drink driving at more than three times the legal limit paid a high price – literally – for his unlawful actions.

Adam Hasan, 37, was charged with high-range drink-driving on William St in Darlinghurst on May 9 after he was stopped for a random breath test.

Agreed police facts tendered to Downing Centre Local Court reveal Hasan blew 0.185 – more than three times the legal blood alcohol limit.

The documents state Hasan told police he had consumed four to five glasses of wine between 12pm and 8pm that day.

Adam Hasan. Picture NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard

At court Magistrate Julia Virgo acknowledged Hasan had taken proactive and deliberate steps to begin addressing his alcohol issues even before his brush with the law landed him in court.

“I accept these is a strong sense of shame, and this high reading is a cause for concern,” Ms Virgo said.

She opted to give the Darlinghurst man the six-month minimum disqualification period – but convicted him and hit him with a staggering $3000 fine which was just short of the $3300 maximum.

“The courts are obliged to reflect some general deterrence because of the great harm that can arise from drink driving,” Ms Virgo concluded.

OLIVIA WATHEN – “WASN’T THINKING STRAIGHT”

A rising real estate agent was busted drink driving while she was already on a bond for possessing cocaine.

Olivia Wathen, 24, was charged with mid-range drink driving on February 25 this year after police noticed she was briefly on the wrong side of a median strip on Gerrale St in Cronulla.

A subsequent breath test proved positive, with a breath analysis revealing a result of 0.08.

Wathen was already on a one-year conditional release order without conviction at the time for possessing cocaine, with the bond active until April this year.

“I was tired and wasn’t thinking straight after a long day at work,” she told the court.

Olivia Wathen. Picture: John Grainger

Magistrate Michael Connell said the community needed to be deterred from the dangerous conduct of drinking and driving.

“The court has to take into account general deterrence, people can’t drink and drive and place members of the community at risk,” Mr Connell said.

“It causes death on our roads … and your traffic history has a number of matters, it’s not an unblemished history, there are a number of breaches of the road rules.”

Mr Connell took no action on the drug possession conditional release order breach but convicted Wathen for the drink driving, disqualified her licence for three months and fined her $600.

EILIDH MACKENZIE-HUNTER – A BAD HANGOVER

An eastern suburbs teeth whitening and tooth gem professional learned the hard way you can still be under the influence the day after drinking, a court has heard.

Officers issued Eilidh Mackenzie-Hunter, 28, with an infringement notice for low range drink driving on Christmas Day last year after she blew over the limit at 8.45am in Woolloomooloo.

Mackenzie-Hunter opted to take the matter to court where she pleaded guilty and asked for leniency at Downing Centre Local Court on June 29.

Eilidh Mackenzie-Hunter, 28.

Magistrate Miranda Moody was told Mackenzie-Hunter – who was detected drink driving by officers on Cowper Wharf Roadway in Woolloomooloo – had been drinking the night before and it was a “day after” offence where she was still over the limit the next day.

“She’s extremely remorseful, and she comes before the court as a person of otherwise good character,” Ms Moody said.

Mackenzie-Hunter was spared a conviction and instead sentenced to a 12-month conditional release order to be of good behaviour.

The Clovelly woman owns a business called Luxup, which she established in 2019.

The business offers mobile teeth whitening which can be performed at clients’ homes, offices or in a pop-up setting at other beauty salons.

THEODORE BURNS – CARS WIPED OUT

An intoxicated P-plater wiped out four cars in Sydney’s east after a night on the beers at one of the neighbourhood’s most infamous drinking holes.

Theodore Burns, 23, wound up having a night out to forget after he smashed into four cars – including two BMWs – in Botany, and was subsequently busted at more than three times the legal blood alcohol limit.

Agreed police facts reveal Burns was driving a blue Mitsubishi at 1am on December 2 after a night at the Golden Sheaf in Double Bay when he hit a parked BMW hatchback and caused extensive damage to the bumper.

He then collided with a red Nissan Skyline, followed by a Toyota HiAce van, which then hit a silver BMW 530i sedan, with all three parked and unoccupied vehicles incurring damage.

Theodore Burns.

“A man made his way to the vehicle to check on the welfare of the accused, (who) said ‘I am very pissed, I’ll pay for everything, I’ll pay for all the damage’,” police state.

When police arrived at the scene, Burns told officers he’d had six beers and said “I’m really drunk and I f**king just crashed into about five cars, I’m really sorry”.

Burns subsequently blew 0.188 – approaching four times the legal limit – and was charged with high range drink driving.

He pleaded guilty at Downing Centre Local Court on June 29 and Magistrate Miranda Moody sentenced him to a 12-month community corrections order and a nine-month driving disqualification.

“If he drinks that much and enters a car he needs to have a serious look at his drinking,” Ms Moody said.