Scott Stone: Bellevue Hill man convicted of driving a car while licence suspended in Chatswood
A self-employed gardener was told he was “a danger to the public every time (he gets) behind a wheel” after his shocking driving record was revealed in court.
Wentworth Courier
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A self-employed gardener was told he was “a danger to the public every time (he gets) behind a wheel” after his shocking driving record was revealed in court.
Bellevue Hill man Scott Stone, 30, faced Hornsby Local Court on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to driving a car on a suspended licence and, on another occasion, driving in Chatswood and not carrying a licence.
But these were far from the first driving offences on this young man’s record, a court heard.
According to documents tendered to court, Stone has racked up 11 driving offences since 2018.
In 2018 and 2019 he was caught speeding – once exceeding the limit by more than 30 km/h — a total of four times.
His record also includes an incident where Stone did not provide information after a crash, low-range drink driving, riding a motorbike without a helmet, failing to stop at a stop sign and two occasions where he used a mobile phone while driving according to documents tendered to Hornsby Local Court.
In court, Stone’s lawyer said her client, who is also studying horticulture, arrived in Australia from Chile in 2018 and needed his licence for his work as a gardener.
But Magistrate Alexander Mijovich said the most recent offences follow a string of dangerous driving acts and dismissed Stone’s claim he needed to drive because a client had called him.
“You don’t really care, do you?,” Mr Mijovich said. “You’re a danger to the public every time you get behind the wheel of a car … and suddenly you’ve seen the light — really, I don’t accept that.”
For driving while his licence was suspended, Stone was convicted. He must pay a $1500 fine and is disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for 12 months.
For driving a car while not carrying a licence, he was convicted but no penalty was imposed.
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