Mount Pritchard: Dusan Sedlan sentenced for drink driving with grandson in car

A grandson pleaded with his grandfather to stop the vehicle after police attempted to pull him over for driving almost three-times over the legal blood alcohol limit.

Liverpool Courthouse.

A grandson pleaded with his grandfather to stop the vehicle after police attempted to pull him over for driving almost three-times over the legal blood alcohol limit.

Dusan Sedlan pleaded guilty to driving with middle range pca, not complying with direction given by police and driving recklessly at Liverpool Local Court.

Police observed he was driving 28km/h in a 60km zone on June 2 at Elizabeth Dr, Mount Pritchard.

Facts tendered to the court state Sedlan had picked up his 12-year-old grandson and a family friend’s son from Bonnyrigg High School when he failed to give way to traffic already on Elizabeth Dr.

“(Sedlan) pulled straight into lane one of two, causing surrounding vehicles to take evasive action to avoid a collision,” the facts state.

Police attempted to stop Sedlan by activating their warning sirens, but the 72-year-old continued to travel for another kilometre before he stopped and spoke to police while “incoherent and unable to understand why police were speaking with him”.

Dusan Sedlan outside Liverpool Local Court.

“While speaking to Sedlan, it was clear to police that he was impaired by alcohol as his eyes were glassy, his speech was slurred and he was not able to converse with police clearly,” the facts state.

“Police removed Sedlan from the vehicle, he was extremely unsteady on his feet and required assistance to walk … he was unable to stand on the spot without swaying.”

The officers noticed the two 12-year-old boys in the back seat who, according to the facts, said “they had told Sedlan to stop while police were behind him, however he did not listen”.

Officers brought the children home as Sedlan was taken to Liverpool Police Station where he returned a reading of 0.142 and told police while “mostly incoherent” that he consumed three shots of spirits.

Dusan Sedlan outside Liverpool Local Court.

Due to his level of intoxication, police called Sedlan’s daughter-in-law to attend the station to explain his suspension notice.

“Sedlan’s family expressed concerns in relation to his excessive drinking and continuing to drive while being affected by alcohol … despite family members telling him he should not be driving,” the facts state.

Police further submitted a question of fitness to hold a drivers licence to the RMS.

Sedlan’s lawyer said his client, a former bus driver, made “full admissions” and promised to “not drive again while he has had a drink”.

Magistrate Imad Abdul-Karim argued Sedlan’s “driving manner cannot be said to be trivial”.

Sedlan was convicted and sentenced to a 12 month community correction order for the charge of driving recklessly and disqualified from holding a drivers licence for 12 months.

He was also fined $900 for the charge of drink driving and ordered to hold an interlock driver's licence for six months.