Brock Cooper Deveson: Teenage motocross learns fate after blowing five times alcohol limit
A young motocross rider and tradie has learned his fate in court after being caught high-range drink driving. Here’s how it unfolded.
Dubbo News
Don't miss out on the headlines from Dubbo News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A “talented motocross rider” from Dubbo blew five times the legal alcohol driving limit after swerving “side to side” in front of police, a court has heard.
Brock Cooper Deveson, 18, appeared in Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday, supported by his parents and grandfather after pleading guilty to high-range drink driving on October 19.
According to an agreed set of facts tendered to court, Deveson pulled out from the kerb in front of a police vehicle on September 9, as they were patrolling on Birch Ave in Dubbo.
Police followed Deveson’s Ford Falcon for about 500m, seeing the car “swerve side to side” before attempting to pull him over.
Initially Deveson hesitated, pumping the brakes before speeding up and eventually stopping a short time later.
Police “could immediately smell a strong scent of alcohol” from Deveson’s car as they noticed three passengers as the 18-year-old produced a provisional P1 driver’s licence.
Deveson told police he had been consuming Carlton Dry beers since 3pm at the Macquarie Inn Club and shortly later he returned a positive reading to the random breath test.
He was taken to Dubbo police station for further testing, recording a reading of 0.261.
On Wednesday, Magistrate Peter Miszalski said the sentencing assessment report completed by Deveson was “quite positive, but it was the reading that was the problem here”.
Deveson’s lawyer Evan Dowd agreed with Magistrate Miszalski’s comment before explaining the events leading up the offence.
Mr Dowd said his client works as a concreter for his dad’s business, and after work was cut short on September 9 he went to the pub and had a “long session” drinking mid-strength beers.
The court heard from Mr Dowd about Deveson facing “peer pressure to drive” and he was then caught by police with an unrestrained passenger in the car – which he was subsequently fined for.
“If he had an accident and somebody was seriously injured … [and there was a] fatality he’d be facing years in prison … I’m sorry but that’s how it works,” Magistrate Miszalski said.
Mr Dowd detailed his client’s subjective case, saying he is “very young”, a “hard worker” and “talent motocross rider” and due to the offending, his mother will be tasked with “driving him everywhere”.
“I hope she reminds him every time he gets in the car,” Magistrate Miszalski replied.
“Sometimes we’re slow [at] learning … the brains of young men don’t really mature till mid-twenties.”
However, Magistrate Miszalski said it’s a “massive reading” while noting his previous mid-range drink driving offence from “two years ago”.
Deveson was ultimately disqualified from driving for nine-months, handed a $2400 fine and placed on a mandatory 48 month interlock licence.