Daniel Barry: Narromine RFS volunteer caught drink driving
A repeat drink driving offender will not have to install a breathalyser in vehicles he gets behind the wheel of because of the cost and his work on mine sites.
Dubbo News
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A Narromine RFS captain caught drink driving a second time has been spared a mandatory alcohol interlock order because of the financial hardship it would cause and his need to drive vehicles at a mine.
Daniel Barry pulled up at Narromine Golf Club and turned his lights off around 2.45am on September 19, after he noticed police nearby.
Officers approached Barry, who told them he’d had 10 cans of rum and coke and drove to the golf club with plans to walk home from there.
A breath test produced a reading of 0.09 and Barry was charged with mid-range drink driving.
He pleaded guilty when he faced Dubbo Local Court on Thursday, with his defence lawyer Matthew Quill telling the court the 25-year-old had previously committed a drink driving offence in 2015.
“He’s extremely embarrassed as captain of the RFS to have committed this offence,” Mr Quill said.
“He’d been in Warren to see his cousin, he did sleep afterwards, he believed he’d slept a lot longer than he obviously did.”
Mr Quill said Barry wanted to be exempted from a mandatory alcohol interlock order — which would require him to pay to have a breathalyser installed in all vehicles he drives — because he needed to drive for work at the Tomingley Gold Mine.
Magistrate Philip Stewart thanked Barry for his service to the community as an RFS volunteer and granted an exemption because of the financial hardship it would cause and Barry’s work needs.
“I accept that he’s remorseful for his actions,” magistrate Stewart said.
Barry was convicted of mid-range drink driving and disqualified from driving for six months.
