Mark Wetherell: Man smashed car into navy base gate while five times the limit

A father-of-two drunkenly sped through the boom gate at a Sydney navy base, as it’s revealed what caused the man to flee the scene of an earlier incident before the crash.

Mark Daniel Wetherell, 40, of Kirrawee, outside Manly Court House on Thursday after pleading guilty to high range drink driving and trespassing on Commonwealth property after he destroyed a boom gate at the Australian Navy’s base at Mosman. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

A drunk driver who smashed his car “at speed” through the boom gate at a highly secure Sydney defence base has appeared in court.

Mark Daniel Wetherell was five times over the legal limit when he drove his ute into the HMAS Penguin naval base on Middle Head at Balmoral, Manly Local Court heard on Thursday.

HMAS Penguin on Sydney’s Middle Head. Picture: Daniel Shaw

Wetherell, a 40-year-old electrician from Kirrawee, was fleeing the irate owners of two parked cars he had just badly damaged in the car park at nearby Cobblers Beach in December last year.

The single father of two, who blew 0.320, is now facing a possible 18-month stint in jail for trespassing on the navy base.

Wetherell pleaded guilty on Thursday to six charges: high-range drink-driving; negligent driving: trespass on prohibited Commonwealth land; disobey “No Entry” sign; not give particulars to owner of damaged property and; drive on the wrong side of a roundabout.

Mark Wetherell smashed his ute through a boom gate at the highly-secure HMAS Penguin. File picture: Lorraine Hanna

He is yet to enter a plea on a charge of intentionally or recklessly damage property.

A police facts sheet tendered to court stated that Wetherell got behind the wheel of his Ford Ranger ute at about 7.40pm on December 6. As he was reversing, the ute smashed into, and badly damaged, the rear of a parked Toyota RAV 4.

Wetherell then accelerated forward and hit, and damaged, the front end of a BMW convertible, before driving out of the car park and heading west on Middle Head Rd.

Police said witnesses followed him as they were giving location details to a triple zero emergency operator.

The ute then careered through a roundabout with Chowder Bay Rd, on the wrong side of the road, before it turned right into a roadway with a sign saying “HMAS Penguin Access Road”.

Wetherell then drove past a sign saying “Australian Government Land. Trespassing on this land is prohibited”.

Mark Daniel Wetherell, (right) 40, of Kirrawee, outside Manly Court House on Thursday. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

“The accused did not slow down and, instead, drove through the boom gate at speed,” the facts sheet stated.

Police said the boom gate was “destroyed” by the ute, which managed to make a three-point turn and leave the navy base.

A North Shore police Highway Patrol car then followed Wetherell’s ute into a laneway with a “No Entry” sign, where he stopped.

An officer managed to grab the keys from the ute’s ignition after Wetherell refused to turn off the engine.

The boom gate cost $2360 to be replaced.

Wetherell’s solicitor told the court that his client was now receiving treatment at a health facility that treats addictions and mental health concerns.

“He recognises he has a problem and is trying to so something about it,” the solicitor said.

Magistrate Brian Williams asked that a sentencing assessment report be completed before Wetherell appears at Sutherland Local Court on April 20 for sentence.