Tony Komen: Drunk medical busted hooning on Hume Highway

A drunk medical student was caught hooning on the Hume Highway almost four times over the legal alcohol limit.

Tony Komen

A Cranbourne pathology student was busted hooning on the Hume Highway almost four times over the legal alcohol limit, a court has heard.

And the Kenyan national had only just lost his licence two months earlier for drunk driving.

Tony Kiprotich Komen, 25, pleaded guilty to drink-driving and hooning charges at Albury Local Court on July 5 after he was caught driving more than 40km over the speed limit.

Court documents show officers from the Holbrook police station were monitoring the Hume Highway when they recorded Komen travelling at 153km/h in a 110/km/h zone in his silver Toyota Corolla about 6.45pm on April 10.

Komen said he didn’t have his license on him but it was “at home in Victoria”.

The documents reveal police could smell alcohol coming from the vehicle, and Komen’s eyes were bloodshot and his speech slurred.

There were also two adult passengers in the car.

Komen was arrested and taken to Holbrook police station where he recorded an alcohol reading of 0.179.

He told police he had four or five Heineken beers in the car while travelling between Victoria and NSW, and had eaten some chips.

When police asked Komen why he was speeding he replied: “Because I was drunk”.

Komen’s defence solicitor Mark Cronin told the court his client hadn’t intended on driving and had been a passenger most of the way on their journey from Melbourne to Canberra, until the driver asked for a break.

Magistrate Richard Funston said Komen’s driving was a “recipe for death”.

“Driving with such a high-range at a speed of 153km/h with others in the car, while disqualified — it’s just horrific,” Mr Funston said.

“Only two months earlier he’s been in Dandenong Magistrates Court for drink driving.”

Police prosecutor Sergeant Andrew Pike said given the offender’s recent history with drunk driving, the threshold for jail had been crossed.

But due to Komen living in Victoria, an intensive corrections order wasn’t an option.

“If an ICO is unavailable then there is only one other alternative,” Sgt Pike said.

But Mr Funston said he wasn’t going to lock Komen up.

“You present to court today without giving the court many options,” he said.

“You’re a young man and you didn’t learn your lesson when you were in Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on February 10.

“Two months later to the day you’re telling your mates you’ll be driving.

“It was an accident waiting to happen, you were just metres from ending up in Coroners’ Court.”

Komen was sentenced to a three year community corrections order.

He was disqualified from driving for 12 months, and fined $2000.