A 24-year-old hoon, described as ‘immature’, asks court for his driving licence back
A bottle shop worker banned for burnouts and leading police on pursuits has told a court he was once “an idiot” but now “takes walks” and has stopped hooning. However, his dangerous-driving past means he’ll need more than that to be allowed to drive again.
Inner South
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An “immature” hoon with a love of doing burnouts and leading police on chases has made a bid to get his driving licence back.
His application to be given permission to again be allowed to drive backfired after a magistrate described him as unable to handle his emotions when behind the wheel.
Rhys Watts – who said he had changed his name to Rhys Marton – appeared at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
The 24-year-old bottle shop and TAB employee from Glen Iris told the court he needed his licence back because he now had the opportunity to work at different stores.
Watts had lost his licence at court in January 2019 for dangerous driving after he did a burnout and had to be chased by police.
He was disqualified at the time, and in an unregistered vehicle.
He is now eligible to have his licence restored – if agreed to by a magistrate.
But he has a bad history; in February 2018 he faced a court on dangerous driving and police pursuit-related charges and he also has similar priors from 2016.
In court in January this year he admitted driving while disqualified and possessing drugs after he was caught asleep in a car in an Oakleigh shopping centre car park in June last year.
The police prosecutor said since 2016 Watts had had a number of court appearances related to dangerous or disqualified driving and he wasn’t confident he was safe behind the wheel.
Watts told the court he had been “stupid” and “an idiot”, and blamed his hooning and evading police crimes on pent-up grief and relationship anger, for which he had seen a psychologist.
He also said he had been clean of drugs, only drank alcohol socially and had strategies to deal with his emotions.
“I take walks, do exercise, do activities that don’t involve driving,” he said.
“I have done the safe driving course two or three times, and have clean drug screens.
“I have stopped all that (hooning), I am regretful and remorseful; I have changed my life around.”
Magistrate Stephen Lee said Watts had sworn evidence that he didn’t take drugs now and he did have clean screens, so that wasn’t the issue.
But there were some serious concerns regarding Watts’ decision-making ability.
“In January last year you were in court for not thinking, yet since then you have been caught behind the wheel again, you weren’t thinking again,” Mr Lee said.
“I’m not sure you have got the maturity and awareness to be trusted to drive a car.
“I’m not satisfied about your immature decision-making, in moments of personal anxiety you are making poor decisions to get in a car and drive dangerously.”
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Mr Lee said Watts needed to get a psychologist’s report and then come back to court.
“Then I may be more confident you’ll be safe behind the wheel of a car and not a danger to the community,” he said.
He adjourned the application until June 29.