Bai Eng Lee, trainee doctor at Manning Base Hospital, in Taree court for drink driving
A passing truck driver called the police when he saw a Mid-North Coast trainee doctor “colliding with various things” and going the wrong way home after a party.
Mid-North Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Mid-North Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A magistrate has described a Mid North Coast trainee doctor’s drink driving matter as a “spectacular fall from grace”.
Bai Eng Lee was in Taree Local Court on Wednesday charged with not obey direction of police/authorised person and drive with middle range concentration of alcohol – first offence.
Lee’s lawyer Merrick Spicer told the court his client had been at a party on the night of the incident on October 15.
Mr Spicer said the 25-year-old was a trainee doctor at Manning Base Hospital and had been in Australia for four years.
He went to a party at Old Bar, a coastal town near Taree, and took his own drinks. While there was no suggestion his drinks were spiked, the court heard he had very little recollection of driving away from the party.
While attempting to drive back to his Taree home, Lee got lost and was seen driving erratically by a truck driver along Bucketts Way in the direction of Gloucester.
Police prosecutor Sgt Harmer told the court it was lucky the driver alerted authorities and that Lee had been seen “colliding with various things on the road” that night.
Mr Spicer said his client was “a young man of sober habits normally” and had no recollection of how he came to be driving home the wrong way along Bucketts Way towards Gloucester.
“It is something he can’t explain,” he said.
When he was tested he blew 0.08 and pleaded guilty to drink driving.
Magistrate Allison Hawkins recognised the actions were out of character for Lee and described the incident as a “spectacular fall from grace”.
For not obey direction of police/authorised person he was fined $1100 and disqualified from driving for four months and must hold an interlock licence for a further 12 months.
In relation to the mid range drink driving charge, he was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month conditional release order starting on December 14.
Sydney CBD synagogue call leads police to coastal town
Named: A woman from a small Mid-North Coast town has been fined for making a harassing call to a major Sydney synagogue. Here’s how it played out.
Pair busted after alleged pursuit followed by crash
A 33-year-old Kempsey man and a 25-year-old Kempsey woman remain in custody on remand after being charged with alleged property and driving offences following pursuit and crash on the Mid-North Coast.