Roy Fennell charged over drunken boat crash near Maianbar
A skipper was left with eight metal plates in his face and the loss of sight in one eye after a horror drunken boat crash on New Year’s Day. The 66-year-old also seriously injured two mates with one of them suffering skull and facial fractures.
St George Shire Standard
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A man who destroyed his sight in one eye and injured two mates when he drunkenly crashed his boat into a partially submerged tree has narrowly escaped full-time prison.
A court heard Roy Fennell, 66, was “playfully” bumping his boat into another vessel before he crashed it in Gooseberry Bay near Maianbar in Sydney’s south on New Year’s Day last year.
Fennell and his two friends on board were seriously injured and a blood test revealed the Sylvania man was navigating at almost four times the limit with a reading of 0.182.
At Sutherland Local Court on Thursday, solicitor Simon O’Toole said Fennell was still suffering the severe consequences of his choices that day.
“He clearly had major trauma to his head, there was extensive reconstructive surgery,” Mr O’Toole told the court.
“He has now got eight plates in his face, and he left the hospital with optic neuropathy – that remains the position and he has all but lost that eye.”
One of Fennell’s mates spent 10 days in hospital with skull and facial injuries, while another was discharged the same day with a 3cm facial cut and a fractured forearm.
Fennell pleaded guilty to high range drink driving on his boat and reckless navigation and was sentenced by Magistrate Les Mabbutt to a 12-month intensive corrections order with 80 hours of community service and a $2500 fine.
“He was drinking a can of beer at one point,” Mr Mabbutt said.
“This must fall toward the top end of offences of this kind.”
His marine licence was also disqualified for 12 months.
“Long after his sentence is finished the others will still have to deal with the residual effects of what happened to them,” Mr Mabbutt said.
“The offender will also have lasting reminders of his criminal behaviour on that day.”
Fennell will be unable to travel to Lihir in Papua New Guinea for his employment with Newcrest Mining for the term of his intensive corrections order.
Mr O’Toole said it was the first time he had ever come to the attention of police for any reason since obtaining his licence in 1971.