Stephen John Hockey, 57: Caught four times over while driving home after drinks to celebrate 2nd place in RSL pool comp

A man who celebrated coming second in the Dee Why RSL pool comp was nabbed four times over the limit when he decided to drive home. See what happened in court

Stephen John Hockey, 57, of Maryland, a suburb of Newcastle, outside Manly Local Court on Wednesday where he was convicted of high range drink driving after leaving Dee Why RSL Club and nearly crashing into parked cars. He had been celebrating coming second in a pool competition. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

A man who left a northern beaches club in his car after celebrating coming second in a local pool comp, has been convicted of being four times over the drink driving limit.

Stephen John Hockey, 57, was spotted by police behind the wheel of the car, with no headlights on, as it left Dee Why RSL late on a Monday night earlier this month.

They watched as the forklift driver, who lives at Maryland, a suburb of Newcastle, nearly crashed into cars parked along Clarence Ave, just after 10pm.

Hockey was followed by police before being pulled over in nearby Howard Ave for a breath test.

Stephen John Hockey, 57, of Maryland, a suburb of Newcastle, outside Manly Local Court on Wednesday, where he was convicted of high range drink driving. He blew 0.201 Picture: Jim O'Rourke

Manly Local Court heard on Wednesday that Hockey blew 0.201 — four times the limit.

He pleaded guilty to high range drink driving.

In document tendered to court police stated that Hockey, who works at Brookvale, told them he had knocked back six schooners of Tooheys New between 4pm and 10pm.

Police stated in a facts sheet that Hockey was “unsteady on his feet and almost fell over” after getting out of his car.

His solicitor James McLoughlin told Magistrate Robyn Denes that Hockey stays overnights on the northern beaches during the week and had been celebrating, on May 1, placing second in a pool competition at the RSL club that night.

Stephen John Hockey had six beers to celebrae his pool comp success. File picture: Supplied

The solicitor said Hockey accepted that he had a problem with alcohol and that he needed help to fix it.

“He has taken this offence as a wake-up call.”

Ms Denes told Hockey that driving out of the RSL and nearly hitting parked cars, he “may as well have had a red flag on your car because the police went straight after you”.

“You were probably lucky you were caught. Who knows what might have happened around the corner.”

Stephen John Hockey left Dee Why RSL at 10.09pm on a Monday night and almost crashed his car into parked vehicles on Clarence Ave. Picture: Adam Yip / Manly Daily

In a letter of apology to the court Hockey wrote that driving over the limit was a “dangerous and irresponsible thing to do”.

“The fact I could have injured, or even killed, someone is still in the back of my mind.”

Hockey was convicted and disqualified from driving for seven months, fined $1000 and handed a Community Correction Order to be of good behaviour for 18 months.