Luke McMillan: Lane Cove man flees drunken crash before blowing three times the legal alcohol limit

A senior technician was more than four times over the limit when he crashed his car into a concrete bollard. When police arrived, they found the man hiding in the back of his fiancee’s car.

Luke McMillan outside Waverley Local Court on Wednesday.

A magistrate has slammed a senior technician at the Australian Turf Club, describing his driving record as “one of the worst” they had seen.

Lane Cove man Luke McMillan, 41, faced Waverley Local Court on Wednesday after previously pleading guilty to high-range drink driving.

According to court documents, McMillan was driving on Doncaster Ave, Kensington on December 1 about 9.30pm when he collided with a concrete bollard, deploying the car’s airbags.

Police arrived a short time later and were informed McMillan had left the scene, with his fiancee directing police to her own vehicle in the area, where he was found hiding in the back seat.

Court documents reveal McMillan “smelt heavily” of intoxicating liquor as he said he was involved in a car accident and that he was the driver.

Waverley Court. Picture by Damian Shaw

After being cautioned, McMillan refused to answer police questions, saying he wasn’t involved in any accidents.

He was then subjected to a roadside breath test which returned a positive result, before being arrested and taken to Maroubra police station and recording a reading of 0.219.

He admitted at the police station that he had six standard beers after work between 6pm and 6.30pm.

In court on Wednesday, McMillan’s lawyer said his client was “getting close to crossing the threshold” with the hope of proceeding to sentence.

The lawyer said a “substantial disqualification” could be appropriate given McMillan’s driving history, highlighting a positive fact he avoided similar offending for “nine years, six months and 21 days”.

“He’s a hardened drinker,” the lawyer said.

The court heard McMillan is a senior technician at the Australian Turf Club, working between Sydney’s four racecourses at Randwick, Rosehill, Canterbury and Warwick Farm.

The lawyer said the “inevitable disqualification” would have a “salutary” effect on him, given he drives around 300km a week for work.

However, Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge ordered for a sentencing assessment report, saying McMillan has a “shocking, shocking record”.

“He’s involved in a collision, he doesn’t wait around [and] leaves the scene,” Magistrate Milledge said.

The matter was ultimately adjourned for sentence on March 29 with the delay due to McMillan getting married and going on a ski holiday in Japan.

Magistrate Milledge concluded by saying McMillan has “has one of the worst drink driving records I’ve see, and I’ve been doing this for a long time”.