Jeduthun McMillan: Mona Vale boat repairer convicted for high range drink driving twice in a day

A Sydney driver has been convicted of high-range drink driving twice within six hours — the first time he was three times over the limit. He blew five times over the second time.

Jeduthun McMillan, 39, a boat repairer of Mona Vale, leaving Manly Local Court on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, where he pleaded guilty to two counts of high range drink driving – both occurred on the same day. Picture: Manly Daily

A Sydney man caught high range drink driving twice in less than six hours in a high-powered unregistered car, has been told he’s lucky he wasn’t killed.

Jeduthun McMillan, 39, of Mona Vale, blew five times over the limit — 0.275 — when he was stopped for a random breath test at 1.15pm.

But the police officer thought McMillan looked familiar. He was the same driver that the officer had charged with being thee times over, at 7.40am the same day.

Manly Local Court was told that the boat repairer was first pulled over on his way to work. When he blew .165, he was charged with high-range drink driving and his licence immediately suspended.

Then, less than six hours later the same police officer spotted McMillan driving the same unregistered Holden Commodore SV6. Again he was pulled over where he blew the 0.275.

Jeduthun McMillan, 39, leaving Manly Local Court on September 13. Picture: Manly Daily

MC Millan pleaded guilty in Manly Local Court on September 13 to two counts of high range drink driving; two counts of use an unregistered vehicle; two counts of use an uninsured vehicle and; one count of drive while licence suspended. On Wednesday he was convicted.

In a facts sheet tendered to court, police state that on July 20 officers detected McMillan driving the Commodore, with registration that had expired on June 8, along Pittwater Rd at North Narrabeen.

Jeduthun McMillan was disqualified from driving for nine months and fined a total of $1900. Picture: Manly Daily

When they pulled him over he said he was on his way to work “where he repaired boats”.

McMillan told the police he knew the car, that he had recently bought, was unregistered – but was under the impression he had eight weeks before he needed to register it.

When he was breath tested he told police he had downed an “unknown amount of beer and spirits” the previous night, according to the fact sheet.

The court heard at 1.15pm the same day, he was stopped on the Wakehurst Parkway at North Narrabeen, in the Commodore. He told police he was taking the car to a mechanic to have it registered.

Again he told police he had consumed “pints and shots” at his home between 6pm and 11.30pm the previous night.

McMillan told Magistrate Robyn Denes three days before he was charged, he had broken up with his long term girlfriend.

On Wednesday, while representing himself in court, MsMillan said the charges had “been a real wake up call for me” and conceded his behaviour had been selfish.

“It was not a good day”,” he said.

Ms Denes told McMillan that “you might have killed yourself”.

“If you kill someone, they don’t care that you’re having a bad day,” she said. “It boggles the mind how you made that decision (to drive) or even how you even started the car.”

Ms Denes disqualified McMillan from driving for nine months, placed him on a community correction order to be of good behaviour for two years and fined him a total of $1900.