Luke Marshall: Tamborine Mountain plasterer guilty of high-range DUI, failing to stop for cops
A Gold Coast hinterland tradie took off in his vehicle while more than three times the legal blood-alcohol limit when police attended the scene for a welfare check, a court has heard.
A Gold Coast hinterland tradie who got behind the wheel of a vehicle while more than three times the legal blood-alcohol limit also failed to stop for police when they attended the scene for a welfare check, a court has heard.
Tamborine Mountain plasterer Luke Marshall, 32, appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday, October 2, where he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of liquor and failing to comply with a requirement to stop a private vehicle.
The latter charge replaced a more serious allegation of evading police, which was withdrawn by the prosecution.
Both offences occurred at Horseshoe Dr, Mudgeeraba, not far from his previous residence at Neranwood, on March 22 this year.
The court heard police had been dispatched to the scene in response to a welfare check.
Upon arrival, Marshall defied an order to stop his vehicle and instead drove back to his residence, where police subsequently took up with him.
He made admissions to the conduct, the court heard.
His exact reading was not read onto the public record, but Magistrate Deborah Mitchell told the court it was in excess of 0.15 per cent blood-alcohol content, or more than three times the limit.
Marshall’s defence lawyer told the court the defendant was suffering a “mental health crisis” at the time of committing the offences and had made the foolish decision to take off when police arrived, rather than sticking around to face the music.
He was now subject to a mental health care plan from his general practitioner and had completed the Queensland Traffic Offenders Program.
The court was told Marshall, whose licence had been provisionally suspended from the date of the offending, was well-regarded professionally, with his employer tendering a character reference on his behalf.
Magistrate Mitchell sentenced Marshall, a sometime-rapper who releases music under the name ‘LukeMarshallBTW’, to a fine of $600 and disqualification of six months, with no conviction recorded due to his lack of recent, relevant priors.
Editori’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Marshall had been consuming alcohol in his vehicle.
