Mid North Coast’s reckless traffic offenders revealed
A spate of reckless driving offenders have appeared before Mid-North Coast courts, from a trainee doctor caught drink driving to a teen doing burnouts in front of a crowd. See the full list.
Mid-North Coast
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NSW Police have been reinforcing the safe driving message as the road toll continues to climb following the Christmas and New Year period.
Officers have been out enforcing all road-related legislation, including drink and drug driving, distractions, driving tired, and any dangerous driving behaviours which put the safety of road users at risk.
Mid-North Coast courts deal with traffic offenders regularly, with a spate of reckless offenders before the courts in late 2022.
From a cook found in a pool of blood after drink driving to a trainee doctor’s “spectacular fall from grace” here are some of the Mid-North Coast’s reckless traffic offenders.
Cook thrown from his van, found lying in a pool of blood
A Port Macquarie man thrown from his van and found “hostile and aggressive” by paramedics lying in a pool of blood with a broken pelvis was sentenced for negligent and drunk driving.
Dylan Robert Clarke was in Taree Local Court on December 14 charged with negligent driving (not causing death or grievous bodily harm) and driving with a mid range concentration of alcohol.
Magistrate Allison Hawkins said it was the second time in his “young life” that Clarke had found himself before the court on traffic matters.
“And both times on your Ps. It’s only a matter of time before you kill yourself or someone else,” she said.
“You drove drunk and lost control of your car – it’s (alcohol) taken over.”
The 23-year-old works as a cook at a chicken shop in Port Macquarie.
According to police facts tendered to court, Clarke was driving a panel van east along Manning Point Rd about 11pm on August 14 and failed to negotiate a gentle right hand curve and came to a rest in bush, five kilometres off the road facing in the opposite direction he had been travelling in.
When police arrived about 11.30pm they saw long skid marks leading up to the crash site and found Clarke lying on the ground next to the van which was extensively damaged on all sides.
There was blood on his head and on the ground underneath him, and a strong smell of alcohol.
When paramedics arrived he was “hostile and aggressive”, according to court documents. He was later flown to John Hunter hospital with a fractured pelvis.
A blood sample returned an alcohol reading of 0.102. On August 23, he attended Taree police station and pleaded guilty to the two charges.
For negligent driving he was convicted and fined $400 and for driving with a mid range concentration of alcohol he must serve a 12-month community corrections order to be of good behaviour, abstain from alcohol and undertake drug and alcohol counselling.
He was disqualified from driving for six months to be followed by an interlock licence period of 12 months.
Trainee doctor‘s “spectacular fall from grace”
Bai Eng Lee was in Taree Local Court on December 14 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. 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.
For the mid range drink driving charge, he was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month conditional release order starting on December 14.
‘We just had a session’: L-plater’s passenger tells police
In the space of just three days, an 18-year-old L-plater and self-confessed drug user racked up a long list of serious driving offences including driving recklessly on a residential street.
Liam Concannon was before Taree Local Court on Wednesday December 7 where he pleaded guilty to two sets of charges.
On October 17, he was charged with possessing a prohibited drug, being a learner not accompanied by a driver or instructor and driving with an illicit drug in his system.
Then on October 19 he was charged with driving while his Learner licence was suspended, using an unregistered vehicle on the road, driving recklessly/furiously or speed in a manner dangerous, and using an uninsured motor vehicle on the road.
According to police facts tendered to the court, officers detected Concannon driving a silver Corolla along Cornwall Ln, Taree in convoy providing light for an unregistered dirt bike at about 10.20pm on October 17.
When they pulled Concannon over they discovered he was an L-plater accompanied by two young people.
When officers observed a strong smell of cannabis one of the young people said “we just had a session”, according to police facts.
Concannon was breath tested and returned a negative result for alcohol but later returned a positive oral fluid test for cocaine, methamphetamines and cannabis.
Police facts tendered to the court outlined that he was a self-confessed user of prohibited drugs. His L-plate licence was suspended.
Then on October 19 Concannon was detected leaving the United Service Station (with the Pie Face store) on Victoria Street, Taree about 1.15am.
He was driving a Holden ute and according to police facts, he accelerated onto Victoria St without indicating, turned into Boyce St, sped through the residential area and crossed onto the wrong side of the road.
Police attempted to catch up with Concannon who skidded harshly into Wynter St before driving on the wrong side of the road and speeding along Whitbread St.
Police abandoned their pursuit due to the risk to public safety but later attended his home and charged him with the second set of offences.
Concannon pleaded guilty to all charges with the case adjourned to January 25 2023.
‘Sentence me today’: Traffic offender’s bizarre court outburst
A police chase triggered north of Grafton, which had to be abandoned several times due to extreme risk to the public, was finally brought to an end with the use of road spikes south of Taree on the Mid-North Coast.
Lemonde Sabanga appeared in Taree Local Court on Monday, December 5, facing a long list of charges including police pursuit not stopping/driving dangerously, drive a conveyance without the consent of the owner, using a motor vehicle with misleading number plates, learner not displaying plates, exceeding the speed limit and not being accompanied by a driver.
At one point the 21-year-old Victorian overtook three cars on the inside, drove on the wrong side of the highway, clipped cars in the Coffs Harbour CBD and travelled the wrong way around a roundabout.
Finally, police were forced to use a tyre deflation device near Failford Rd at Nabiac.
Not to be deterred Sabanga, continued to speed south for about 35km while the front passenger tyre was deflating and then on the wheel rim stopping a short distance from the Wootton Way intersection.
When he appeared before Magistrate Allison Hawkins via audio visual link he insisted on representing himself saying repeatedly “can you sentence me today please your honour?”
He pleaded guilty to all charges and was given an aggregate jail sentence of 18 months with a non-parole period of five months.
Sabanga will be eligible for parole on May 2, 2023.
Gone fishing: L-plater drink driving, lost control and smashed
A suspended L-plater was drink driving in a borrowed car with three passengers on board when he lost control and smashed into a parked car, it was heard in Port Macquarie Local Court on November 23.
Samuel Christopher Duck was charged with driving with a high range concentration of alcohol, negligent driving (no death or grievous bodily harm) and drive motor vehicle while licence suspended – first offence.
Magistrate Georgina Darcy told the court it was simply good “fortune” that nobody was killed when the 21-year-old lost control and crossed to the wrong side of the road and crashed into a parked vehicle on August 9.
Police investigating the scene observed lengthy skid marks leading up to the point of impact with the parked car, she also told the court.
The court heard Duck had wanted to go fishing at Wauchope and drove along the river for approximately ten kilometres before he lost control.
For driving with a high range concentration of alcohol Duck was convicted and sentenced to a two-year community correction order and directed to perform 100 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for two years.
Duck was convicted and fined $400 for negligent driving (no death or grievous bodily harm) and convicted and fined another $400 for driving a motor vehicle while his licence (learner licence) was suspended – first offence.
Nurse wrote off car after drink driving on a Saturday night
A Laurieton nurse who wrote off her car while drink driving on a Saturday night has been ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.
Kiley Ann Palmer appeared in Port Macquarie Local Court on November 23 charged with driving with a high range concentration of alcohol.
The court heard she was a registered nurse at the time of the incident on June 25 and later went into a 12-week residential rehabilitation program.
The 46-year-old was driving along Bago Rd about 9.30pm when she lost control of her car and was later breath tested, blowing just over the 0.150 high range threshold, the court heard.
Magistrate Georgina Darcy praised her efforts to get sober but emphasised the serious nature of such offending particularly on a Saturday night with a greater likelihood of other motorists on the road.
“It was a significant accident that could have ended with loss of life,” Ms Darcy said.
“You have changed your life, you are now sober and making a new life for yourself with support in Sydney.”
Palmer was given a two-year community corrections order reporting to the corrections office in Leichhardt where she has recently relocated.
As part of the order she must also complete 100 hours of community service.
Palmer was disqualified from driving for six months, backdated to the date of the offence.
Teen crashed after doing a burnout as ‘scores of young people’ watch on
A Port Macquarie teen who was drink driving and crashed after doing a burnout on a busy town street as “scores of young people” watched on has been sentenced.
Joshua Cooper, 18, was in Port Macquarie Local Court on Wednesday, November 23, charged with several offences, including driving recklessly/furiously or speed/manner dangerous; refusing or failing to provide an oral fluid sample; driving a motor vehicle while licence suspended; and driving with middle range concentration of alcohol.
He pleaded guilty to all charges following the incident along Lord St in the Port Macquarie CBD on the evening of October 20.
Magistrate Georgina Darcy sympathised with the stress placed on Cooper’s mother, witnessing him in court but said it could have been much worse.
“You could be visiting him in jail, or worse, you could be visiting your son’s gravesite,” she said.
She told the court Cooper had shown “an appalling disregard to the safety of others” and it was simply “good fortune” that nobody had been seriously injured.
The court heard Cooper was showing off as “scores of young people” watched him doing a burnout along Lord St and that he “came close to colliding with those young people”.
Cooper, who was over two times the limit at the time, lost control and crashed and the wreckage was a shocking reminder to passers by the next day on the busy street, including Cooper’s lawyer Douglas Hannaway.
“Yes your honour the car had significant damage – I remember seeing it near my office,” Mr Hannaway said.
For driving recklessly/furiously or speed/manner dangerous, Cooper was sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order and directed to perform 80 hours of community service work and disqualified from driving for two years.
For refusing or failing to provide an oral fluid sample he was convicted and fined $400.
For driving while his licence was suspended, he was convicted and fined $400 and for driving with a middle range concentration of alcohol Cooper was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month conditional release order.
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