Drivers convicted for DUI or dangerous driving in NSW and the ACT
From driving under the influence to fast and furious speeding, these are the NSW and ACT drivers who have been punished for some of the most dangerous driving and DUI offences.
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Dangerous driving, especially speeding, is still killing people at an alarming rate on NSW roads.
Data from the Centre for Road Safety NSW shows that speeding consistently contributes to around 41 per cent of road fatalities and 24 per cent of serious injuries each year. This means almost 150 lives lost and 1,270 people seriously injured each year.
But it’s not only speeding that can prove a danger to the community, with local courts sentencing people for drink-driving, drug-driving and menacing driving.
Here are more than 10 of these dangerous drivers that were dealt with by the court in the last 12 months in NSW and the ACT.
Patricia Hadjia
A glamorous Instagram influencer who narrowly avoided prison after a drink-driving rampage saw her crash into multiple cars begged a court to lighten her community service hours.
Patricia Hadjia was behind the wheel of a Jeep Grand Cherokee when it crashed into three cars and rolled onto its side about 9.50pm on Duncan St in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra on October 16.
The 28-year-old, known to her 38,000 Instagram followers as “Torpedo Trish”, was convicted ordered to complete 400 hours of community service after she confessed to high-range drink-driving.
She told police she had consumed five cocktails, and returned a positive breath test of 0.181 – more than three times’ the legal limit.
But Judge Ian Bourke agreed Hadjia had suffered “significant punishment” in having to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation and wide media coverage at the time of the incident.
However, he said the offence was so prevalent that deterrence was still needed, as it could have led to serious injury or death so dropped the community service hours from 400 to 250. The conviction remains on her record.
Anthony Pavic
A drunk electrician was eight times the legal blood alcohol limit when he crashed into a bus just after midday in western Sydney last November. He later told police he only had four glasses of wine.
Anthony Pavic, 40, of St Marys pleaded guilty to high-range drink driving at Penrith Local Court earlier this year where it was revealed the heavy drinking on November 13 was triggered by Pavic losing his job the day before.
Magistrate Stephen Corry said “it’s a miracle he’s alive” after hearing Pavic’s blood alcohol reading of .419, then convicted and sentenced him to an eight month intensive corrections order to be served in the community.
Lachlan Crittle
A former real estate agent got behind the wheel of his Ford Ranger after drinking at the Berry Hotel, sideswiped a police car and kept on driving.
Lachlan Crittle was drinking with friends on July 30, 2021 when he decided to drive, despite having originally made plans to stay at a friend‘s place, the court heard.
Driving on the Princes Highway at about 11.20pm, Crittle sideswiped a police car which had warning lights activated after stopping another driver.
Crittle continued until police gave chase and stopped him two kilometres up the road.
After pleading guilty to high-range drink driving and failing to give particulars to another driver after a crash, Crittle was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order, fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for seven months.
Mehmet Erkekascan
A man was sentenced after he told police he couldn’t feel how fast he was going when he sped along a major highway at almost double the speed limit with a passenger in his son’s Mercedes Benz.
Mehmet Oguz Erkekascan, 49, was sentenced in Moss Vale Court on April 19 after pleading guilty to driving recklessly or in a dangerous manner near Mittagong in January.
Police were conducting checks near a dangerous section of road known as the Dipper around 6pm on January 20 when they saw the car zooming towards them, according to the facts. Police say they checked Erkekascan’s speed at 214km/hr – more than 100 km/hr over the speed limit for the road.
Erkekascan was convicted of the offence, fined $1200 and barred from holding a driver’s licence until January 2023.
Gareth Charles Dunlop
A father-of-two has escaped jail time after he crashed into a power pole on the way to work on a Monday morning, blowing more than five times the legal limit.
Gareth Charles Dunlop, 33, appeared in Moss Vale Court in December last year for sentence after pleading guilty to high-range drink driving.
Court documents reveal the Picton resident told police he was driving to work at 10.45am on Monday July 5 with two young passengers in the car.
He was travelling on Mengangle Rd in a white ute when he crashed into a car that had slowed down to turn right and then abruptly stopped, according to the police facts.
As a result of the impact, the facts show Dunlop’s car veered to the left and collided with a power pole. While he was unhurt, the facts state the two occupants of the other car were injured and required medical assistance.
According to the facts, Dunlop had blood alcohol reading of 0.266 – more than five times the legal limit. Magistrate Mark Douglass convicted and sentenced Dunlop to a nine-month intensive corrections order to be served in the community.
Harry Thomas Little
A speeding highway patrol officer who left a grandmother with lifelong injuries and a permanent disability after he crashed into her Mercedes has failed in bid to avoid a conviction.
Harry Thomas Little, 43, failed to successfully activate any warning devices attached to his police vehicle when he started speeding along a busy Cronulla road and ploughed into grandmother Gai Vieira’s Mercedes in September 2018.
Little appeared before the District Court in Sydney in March to be sentenced after pleading guilty to negligent driving causing grievous bodily harm, where it was heard that he reached speeds of up to 135km/h on The Kingsway at Cronulla as he attempted to pursue a Volkswagen driver who was believed to be using a mobile phone in the 70km/h zone.
The court heard Little slammed on the brakes when he saw Mrs Vieira turn out in front of him and had no warning lights or sirens activated on the police vehicle before the crash.
Little maintained he pressed a button to activate his lights before the crash, but was unaware they did not come on.
Judge Huggett rejected the idea of issuing a non-conviction and Little was convicted of negligent driving causing grievous bodily harm, sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Paul Hourigan
A Castle Hill man pleaded guilty at Parramatta Court after drinking and speeding down the M2 motorway.
Paul Hourigan, 52, overtook and sped past an unmarked police car in his black Mercedes C63 on March 22 at about 11.30pm, heading towards the M2 tunnel near Pennant Hills.
Police facts tendered to court said Hourigan was driving at 150km/h in the 100km zone, with police officers needing to reach speeds of 185km/h to catch up to him.
He was taken to Castle Hill police station for another test, which gave a reading of 0.093, and was charged with mid-range PCA, and driving recklessly, furiously, or at a speed of manner dangerous.
Hourigan was convicted of his drink driving charge, and had no conviction recorded for his guilty plea to reckless driving.
He was placed on a conditional release order for 12 months. His licence was revoked for three months and his car was put on a mandatory interlock for three months.
Chantelle Ayling
A young mum who blew a blood alcohol reading of 0.143 after being caught running a red light and driving in Canberra while disqualified on New Year’s Eve, has been banned and fined for getting behind the wheel.
Chantelle Ayling, 22, pleaded guilty to level three drink driving, driving through a red light and driving while disqualified when she fronted the ACT Magistrates Court in February.
Police facts stated officers first detected Ayling driving a bronze Holden Commodore over the posted 80km speed limit at 1.50am travelling east on Ginninderra Drive, Florey.
Police then witnessed the car again at the corner of William Webb Drive and Moynihan St, Evatt, where Ayling went through a red light without attempting to stop.
Magistrate James Lawton banned Ayling for driving for six months, which is the minimum disqualification period for her offence. She escaped conviction for the offence, but was fined $500 and was given a 12-month good behaviour order.
Matt Yager
A 39-year-old, seriously injured in a smash, limped into Coffs Harbour court to face sentencing on high-range drink driving telling the court “I have no recollection of going back to the car and driving”.
Matthew George Yager was trapped in his car after the accident on Toormina Road in the early hours of October 10 last year and spent four weeks in hospital recovering from his injuries, the court heard.
According to court papers, he went to the Toormina Hotel around 3pm and had approximately eight beers then walked to a friend’s place around 8pm; but from then on, could not recall what happened.
Residents who heard the crash called emergency services and he was eventually cut from the wreckage and blew 0.211.
Mr Yager was convicted of high-range drinking and given a nine-month sentence to be served by way of an intensive community corrections order and was disqualified from driving.
James Joseph Lewis
A cricket club volunteer told a court he had gone sober after he was caught drink driving more than four times the legal limit.
James Joseph Lewis, 34, pleaded guilty in Tweed Heads Local Court earlier this year to high-range drink driving after he was stopped for a random breath test on Tweed Coast Road, Pottsville, about 11pm on November 12, 2021.
Court documents stated that police noticed his speech was slurred, eyes watery and blood shot and he had a strong smell of liquor before returning a positive roadside breath test and was taken to Kingscliff police station where he recorded a reading of 0.204.
Lewis was convicted and sentenced to a two-year community correction order and disqualified for the minimum driving and interlock periods.
Cruz Williams
A learner driver who was drink-driving then tailgated a stranger and threw beer cans at the car while the victim was on the phone to police.
Cruz Williams, an Elderslie resident, then undertook a victim on the left hand side of the road travelling in the exit lane and pulled closely in front of the victim.
The victim sounded his horn due to the proximity and when Williams pulled off the left side and stopped, the victim stopped and said “hey mate are you OK”.
The facts tendered to court said Williams got out of his car and the victim got scared and drove off, but Williams followed and tailgated at him.
At one intersection Williams shouted “I don’t care where you’re going I’m going to follow you. You can go home and I’ll follow you there”.
Williams was convicted and sentenced to a 12 month community corrections order, fined $950, and also disqualified for 12 months. The charge of being an unaccompanied learner driver was dismissed.
Shaun Lawrence
A Fairy Meadow man with a “terrible driving record” dodged a prison sentence after causing a three-car crash on the Princes Mwy in May last year.
Father-of-two Shaun Matthew Lawrence faced Wollongong Local Court in March charged with four offences including menacing driving, not giving particulars to other drivers, driving a vehicle with an illicit drug present in his blood and shoplifting.
Court documents detailed Lawrence’s dangerous behaviour on May 5, 2021 when he followed a grey Mazda CX5 in his green Holden Nova from Port Kembla Courthouse and up Mt Ousley.
Lawrence raced in and out of traffic and gestured “I’m watching you” to the Mazda which had three occupants, with police prosecutor Sergeant David Weaver telling the court the accused “break tested” in front of the vehicle – which stopped before two other cars crashed into the rear.
Magistrate Greg Elks spared Shaun Matthew Lawrence from time behind bars and convicted him and sentenced him to a 18-month intensive correction order and 150 hours of community service.
Jeniella Johnson
A southwest Sydney woman has been sentenced for a prolonged road rage incident in the Southern Highlands, in which she intimidated and assaulted a popular ABC local radio presenter.
Jeniella Johnson, 24, appeared at Moss Vale Court for assaulting and intimidating ABC Illawarra presenter Nick Rheinberger during a bout of intense road rage in September last year.
She had previously pleaded guilty to knowingly driving a vehicle in a menacing manner, destruction of property, common assault, and intimidation.
Johnson was convicted and given an 18-month supervised community corrections order, disqualified from driving for the minimum period of 12 months and is to complete 75 hours of community service.
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