Slobodan Jankovic: Personal injury solicitor sentenced over driving charges

A former lawyer’s appalling driving record has caught up with him, busted driving with drugs in his system on five separate occasions during the midst of a self-described “downward spiral”.

Slobodan Jankovic (left) outside Burwood Local Court with his lawyer (right).

A former Sydney solicitor has learned his fate after a stunning fall from grace which saw him narrowly avoid a jail sentence.

Chatswood man Slobodan Jankovic, 49, who once worked as a personal injury lawyer, found himself on the wrong side of the law after a self-described “downward spiral” which saw him busted driving with drugs in his system on five separate occasions in the space of two years.

On Monday, the former lawyer fronted Burwood Local Court after breaching a community corrections order he had received in December 2021 for driving under the influence of drugs.

Since he received that order, Jankovic has pleaded guilty to a fresh string of driving-related charges, namely two counts of driving a car while his licence was disqualified and one count of driving with an illicit drug present in his blood.

According to documents tendered to court, the 49-year-old was first busted driving while disqualified on June 11 at Chatswood.

Slobodan Jankovic (right) entering Burwood Local Court.

Just over two months later — on August 28 — he was again caught driving while disqualified but this time police officers also detected methylamphetamine in his system when they pulled him over and conducted a roadside breath test on Victoria Rd, Drummoyne.

In court, Jankovic’s lawyer, Daniel Petrushnko said his client’s repeated offending meant a custodial sentence was a likely outcome.

Slobodan Jankovic.

The court also heard while Jankovic was no longer a lawyer, he was a practising solicitor at the time of his offences.

“Mr Jankovic should have known better … there is no excuse for it,” Mr Petrushnko said.

He also told the court the former lawyer had entered a “downward spiral” and was “not thinking straight” due to a combination of pressures at work and in his personal life.

“(But) your Honour can take some comfort in the knowledge Mr Jankovic has recognised there is a problem and has started to seek professional help,” he said.

Magistrate Vivien Swain told the court Jankovic had a terrible driving record and this was the fifth time he had been dealt with for driving with drugs in his system since 2021.

But she disagreed with Mr Petrushnko’s statement that a custodial sentence was the most likely outcome.

“I am not saying the offending was not serious … (but) I am not satisfied that the only appropriate sentence would be one of imprisonment,” Ms Swain said.

Instead, Ms Swain convicted Jankovic of each charge and sentenced him to a fresh two year community corrections order.

He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined $3675.