Drink drivers from the Shire, St George at Sutherland Local Court
A local court in Sydney’s south has heard grave tales of drink drivers crashing into trees, bins and taxis due to their intoxication in recent months. READ THE STORIES OF CONVICTED DRINK DRIVERS ACROSS THE SHIRE AND ST GEORGE.
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A dance teacher, a television executive producer and an aspiring lawyer were among drink drivers caught in the act by police in Sydney’s south.
This year Sutherland Local Court magistrates has heard grave tales of cars crashing into trees, bins and taxis due to the intoxication of the people behind the wheel.
Some drivers – one of whom was caught drink driving at more than seven times the limit – are now serving jail terms in the community as a result of their dangerous choices.
These are the stories of drink drivers caught in the act across the Shire and St George in 2020.
KAREN LAWSON
A drunk driver rolled into a pair of garbage bins in a gutter while she was more than five times the legal limit in Burraneer.
Karen Lawson, 59, narrowly escaped full-time jail after she blew an eye-watering 0.279 on January 22 when she attempted to leave a Burraneer liquor store while drunk.
At Sutherland Local Court Lawson’s barrister Dean Woodbury acknowledged it was the third time the Gymea woman had been caught drink driving.
“It’s one of the highest readings that may have ever come before Your Honour,” Mr Woodbury told Magistrate Les Mabbutt.
Mr Mabbutt sentenced her to a 12-month prison sentence to be served in the community after Lawson pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity.
“People make a choice as to whether they drink or not and she made a cruel and selfish decision to drink and drive,” Mr Mabbutt said.
JOEL CHEESEMAN
A man who fleeced Sydney pub king out of $230,000 was caught drink driving and driving while disqualified only weeks later while serving a community-based jail term.
Former construction boss Joel Cheeseman, 30, received a 15-month intensive corrections order in August 2019 for authorising false invoices to Hemmes’ Merivale worth a whopping $229,811.
Just weeks later Cheeseman was caught mid-range drink driving at more than twice the legal limit in a black Range Rover near Cronulla in September.
He was then busted driving while suspended at Cronulla 7/11 on November 16.
At Sutherland Local Court Magistrate Les Mabbutt sentenced Cheeseman to a two-year community corrections order, a six-month driving disqualification, a 12-month interlock order and a $1500 fine.
“It’s your decision to drink and drive, and you take a great risk driving anywhere when driving while suspended,” Mr Mabbutt said.
MELISSA ANTHONY
A Sydney dance teacher was drink driving at more than seven times the limit when she ploughed her car into a tree during peak hour traffic in Sans Souci.
Melissa Anthony, 45, was charged with high range drink driving after she lost control and smashed into a tree on Brantwood St in Sans Souci in March 2020.
A blood sample obtained by police after Anthony was hospitalised returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.356 – more than seven times the legal limit, and more than twice the high range reading.
Anthony’s solicitor Susan Goodsell told Magistrate Michael Connell at Sutherland Local Court Anthony’s life had spiralled out of control after a relationship breakdown and the untimely death of a friend.
Mr Connell sentenced Anthony to a nine-month prison term to be served in the community as an intensive corrections order and 100 hours’ community service.
“She was in no position to be in a motor vehicle driving with that amount of alcohol in her body,” Mr Connell said.
SYLVIA D’SOUZA
A Seven Network executive producer has paid a high price for drink driving at more than twice the legal limit and smashing into the back of a stationary taxi.
Sylvia D’Souza, 42, left work drinks at a Surry Hills pub in her car when her phone was flat and she was unable to book an Uber or find a taxi on July 3.
D’Souza instead found a taxi minutes later when she ploughed into the back of one on the Princes Hwy in Rockdale as the driver stopped to let out a mother and her young child.
When police attended the scene, D’Souza returned a positive breath test – and a subsequent breath analysis returned a mid-range result of 0.134.
D’Souza pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity and Magistrate Michael Connell convicted her, fined her $1200 and disqualified her licence for three months.
“Drinking and driving does cause death and injury on our roads,” Mr Connell said.
“It’s clear she accepts responsibility for her actions and she is a person of otherwise good character.”
ADAMO CARBONE
An aspiring solicitor wound up on the wrong side of the bar table after he was caught drink driving at almost twice the legal limit while his licence was suspended for unpaid fines.
Final year law student Adamo Carbone, 23, was charged with mid-range drink driving, driving while suspended and failing to update his address after police observed him driving above the speed limit on Forest Rd in Penshurst on April 24.
Magistrate Jayeann Carney at Sutherland Local Court said the subsequent breath analysis returned a blood alcohol result of 0.099.
The court heard officers could smell intoxicating liquor on Carbone’s breath and his movement was sluggish, his eyes were glazed and bloodshot, and his shirt was stained with red wine after his friend spilt it on him at the night’s end.
The Carlton man pleaded guilty to all three offences and was convicted, disqualified from driving for six months and fined $1700.
AMBER LUKUNIC
A suspended, slurring motorist who was caught drink driving for the second time in two months with her toddler in the car has narrowly escaped full-time imprisonment.
Amber Lukunic, 44, was charged with high range drink driving on March 27, just seven weeks after she was suspended and penalised for low range drink driving.
The landscape architect had travelled from Thirroul north of Wollongong to Menai in the Sutherland Shire to collect her three-year-old son when she was pulled over by police.
A subsequent breath test returned a result of 0.183 – more than three times the regular blood alcohol limit of 0.05.
At Sutherland Local Court Magistrate Scott Nash emphasised the offending was extraordinarily serious.
“Ms Lukunic you were fined $572 for low range drink driving, and a month and a bit later you made the same decision,” Mr Nash said.
Lukunic was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month prison term to be served in the community as an intensive corrections order, a 10-month driving disqualification, a four-year interlock order, and $2550 in fines.
She will also have to perform 100 hours of community service, report to Wollongong Community Corrections for supervision and abstain from alcohol completely for 12 months.