Ricky Rayner: Mt Annan man jailed for high range drink driving on Camden Valley Way

A drunk carpenter driving his friend home after a boozy afternoon has been jailed, after he nearly collided with a car in front of police officers attending an unrelated crash.

Ricky Rayner has been jailed after being sentenced at Picton Local Court.

A drunk carpenter driving a friend home after a boozy afternoon has been jailed, after he nearly collided with a car in front of police officers attending an unrelated crash.

Ricky John Edward Rayner, of Mt Annan, fronted Picton Local Court on Wednesday – the day after he turned 22 – and pleaded guilty to high-range drink driving and not having an interlock device fitted the day.

Court documents state about 3.40am on July 16, police were at the scene of a car crash at the intersection of Camden Valley Way and Catherine Fields Rd, Gledswood Hills.

Raynor was travelling towards Narellan when he slammed on the brakes to avoid a car, swerved into another lane and drove through traffic lights flashing yellow.

Police caught up to him and pulled him over on The Hermitage Way and Rayner immediately confessed, “I have been drinking. I was just taking my friend at home”. He blew a reading of 0.175.

Ricky Rayner will be eligible for parole next year.

He asked police why they were waiting for him on the side of the road, and when officers replied they had been at the crash scene and the traffic lights were flashing, Rayner asked: “What lights?”

When he was taken to Narellan police station, he asked officers to hurry up with the paperwork as he was guilty and his friend was waiting outside.

When spoken to about the fact he was meant to have an interlock, he said, “Yeah, I am meant to have it, but it was my friend’s car”.

He told officers he had been drinking all day, from lunch through to the early hours of the morning, consuming up to 20 beverages.

At court on Wednesday, lawyer Ryan Mates said Rayner, who is employed as a carpenter, had made a foolish decision and sought had psychological help for his drinking and ADHD.

Mr Mates asked the court to consider allowing Rayner to serve his jail sentence in the community, but Magistrate David Degnan rejected the plea.

Mr Degnan pointed out that Rayner had already been convicted of high-range drink driving after driving through a red light while on his P-plate licence and showed a “blatant disregard”.

“The consumption of alcohol and driving causes carnage on our roads. You’ve now been involved in two matters where you’ve had high readings,” Mr Degnan said to Rayner.

“On both occasions, you’ve been detected because of your manner of driving.

“The danger that the offender placed himself, his passenger, the police at the scene and any other road users at the time in the view indicates the threshold of custodial sentence has been crossed.”

Rayner was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, with a non-parole period of six months. He will be eligible for release in March 2024.