Cobram Magistrates’ Court: Ricky Brian Vander Gulik guilty of drink and drug driving offences

An intoxicated Numurkah concreter who jumped on his Harley after a big night stacked his unregistered hog into bushes.

A boozed-up concreter was hooning on his Harley with cannabis in his system before he crashed into bushes in the state’s north.

Ricky Brian Vander Gulik, of Numurkah, pleaded guilty at the Cobram Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to unlicensed driving, using an unregistered motor vehicle, careless driving of a motor vehicle and driving a vehicle while exceeding the prescribed concentration of alcohol.

Vander Gulik was riding a black Harley Davidson motorbike at a “fast rate of speed” on Walshs Bridge Rd in Numurkah about 9pm on August 14 last year.

The 28-year-old lost control of the vehicle and crashed into bushes, the court heard, and a passing ambulance stopped at the scene and treated Vander Gulik.

Mr Vander Gulik riding a black Harley Davidson motorbike (similar to the bike pictured above) at a “fast rate of speed” on Walshs Bridge Rd in Numurkah about 9pm on August 14, 2022. Picture: Supplied

When police arrived at the scene they discovered Vander Gulik’s licence had expired on October 7, 2019, and the vehicle’s registration expired on June 6 last year.

Vander Gulik was then taken to Goulburn Valley Health for medical treatment.

Blood and alcohol testing was conducted on Vander Gulik where a sample detected the presence of alcohol — nearly three times the legal limit — and illicit drugs in his system.

Vander Gulik told the court he had “a fair bit of alcohol” and was smoking the night before.

He said he had no reason for his actions other than “stupidity”.

Mr Vander Gulik was taken to Goulburn Valley Health for medical treatment after he crashed the motorbike. Picture: Supplied

“Alcohol makes you do stupid things,” Vander Gulik told the court.

“I don’t drink anymore but I do still consume cannabis every now and then.”

Magistrate Alexandra Burt said: “Obviously cannabis is an unlawful substance.”

“If something happens that you’re not expecting, you have a risk of not being able to respond to it.

Vander Gulik was fined $900 without conviction his licence was cancelled and disqualified for a period of 19 months.