Robert Smith: Dubbo man caught drink driving and without a licence as part of Operation Spoiler in March this year
A Dubbo man disqualified from driving until 2026 has been caught by police driving while drunk, with his young grandson in the car. Read what happened in court.
Dubbo News
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A Dubbo man who was disqualified from driving until 2026 fronted Dubbo Local Court on Monday, charged with driving without a valid licence and mid-range PCA.
Robert Smith, 53, pleaded guilty to both charges after he was arrested on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.
According to documents tendered in Dubbo Local Court, Smith has a significant traffic record with numerous prior matters of similar nature.
On the date of the offence, police were patrolling west Dubbo as part of a high-visibility police operation – Operation Spoiler with police conducting 110 random breath tests, 20 random drug tests, a person search and an apprehended violence order compliance check.
As part of the operation Smith was pulled over for a breath test on O’Donnell Street, Dubbo and officers observed Smith to be the driver and owner of the vehicle with his grandson in the back.
“(Smith) immediately informed police that he did not have a driver’s licence and was submitted to a roadside breath test, that returned a positive result,” agreed police facts state.
“He was arrested and arrangements were made for a licensed driver to take his vehicle to another location with his grandson.”
Smith was conveyed back to Dubbo police station for further testing, which included a breath analysis of 0.098.
During questioning, Smith said he “consumed 10 stubbies of Victoria Bitter” between 10am and 8pm on Tuesday, March 29.
“(Smith) was observed to be slightly affected by alcohol, having bloodshot eyes,” court documents state.
Smith’s lawyer, Ms Kitch appealed to Magistrate Gary Wilson for a ‘Sentencing Assessment Report’ for Smith as she submitted pleas of guilty to each charge.
Mr Wilson accepted the submissions, adjourning the matter to July 14 for sentencing.
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