Trent Baker, 180 Degrees Disability and Mental Health Services owner narrowly avoids jail
The owner of a mental health services company has blamed his increased drinking on colleagues starting a rival company, costing him $50,000.
Penrith
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The owner of an NDIS-accredited disability and mental health services company has narrowly avoided jail after being caught drink driving for the fifth time in the last 10 years.
Trent Kalven Baker, 40, of Emu Plains, pleaded guilty to mid-range PCA after being caught on the Great Western Highway just after 8.30pm on August 30.
According to police facts, Baker drove past where police had set up a random breath test before stopping near Waring Cr in Emu Plains.
When police approached the vehicle, they observed Baker as being “moderately affected by alcohol”.
Facts say Baker had a smell of liquor on his breath, and had watery and bloodshot eyes with enlarged pupils.
Baker returned a positive result to a roadside test, and recorded a blood-alcohol level of 0.139 during further testing at St Marys police station.
He told police he’d had six cans of Tooheys New between 5pm and 7.55pm, and hadn’t eaten anything in that time.
In a letter sent to the court, Baker expressed his remorse and entered an early guilty plea.
He said he suffered from alcohol dependence and was taking steps to address the issue.
He also said his drinking had increased around the time of the incident as several former staff members at his company, 180 Degrees Disability and Mental Health Services, had created a competition business before taking clients and wiping records, costing him $50,000.
Magistrate Fiona Toose sentenced Baker to a nine-month intensive corrections order for the offence, making reference to four other PCA charges in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2019.
He must comply with any treatment plans given to him by community corrections and must abstain from drugs and alcohol.