William Stellmacher: Private-schooled apprentice sparkie avoids conviction for boozy driving

A private school alumnus who crashed his car after sinking half-a-dozen beers before getting behind the wheel has avoided a conviction. Read what happened in court.

A prestigious Sydney private school alumnus has avoided a lengthy disqualification after being caught drunkenly losing control of his Toyota Corolla in southern Sydney earlier this year.

William Stellmacher, a 21-year-old who attended St Joseph‘s College in Hunters Hill, appeared in Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to mid-range drink driving.

The apprentice sparkie was sinking booze in the evening of May 11 at the popular drinking hole Highfield Caringbah before he hopped behind the steering wheel of his Corolla.

He was driving along Cawarra Rd just before midnight when he lost control of the car and hit the gutter with residents in a neighbouring house alerting the police.

William Stellmacher pleaded guilty to mid-range PCA in Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday. Photo: Facebook

Officers arrived on the scene with the stench of grog emanating from Stellmacher who told them he‘d consumed six or seven Carlton Draught Beers and a rum and coke.

Stellmacher returned a positive roadside breath test and after being conveyed to Sutherland Command he recorded a reading of 0.124.

Stellmacher‘s lawyer David Hemsworth appealed to Magistrate Theresa Hamilton for a sentence without conviction and no further punishment.

Mr Hemsworth said the driving was out of character, evidenced through three character references which detail the electrical apprentice‘s responsible drinking behaviour.

Mr Hemsworth told the court that Stellmacher is currently unemployed and wants to complete his apprenticeship, but employers aren’t willing to take him on because he doesn’t have his licence.

“That would extend to first year apprentices with an interlock licence,” the lawyer said.

Magistrate Hamilton said it was “quite clear” Stellmacher ”shouldn‘t have been driving”, however, due to his clean record, she accepted the 21-year-old’s family difficulties at the time of the offence, saying he should be given the opportunity to retain his licence.

She noted the potential effects of being disqualified and having an interlock licence on future employment, handing Stellmacher a conditional release order for 18 months without conviction and disqualification.