Leigh Stanios: Bayswater man had five beers in 30 minutes before driving
A Bayswater man downed five beers in half an hour before getting behind the wheel and burning some rubber — almost losing control of his rig.
Outer East
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A Bayswater man who sank five beers in half an hour before getting behind the wheel has been dressed down by a magistrate for “clowning around”.
Leigh Stanios, 37, pleaded guilty in the Ringwood Magistrates’ Court on June 16 to drink driving and dangerous driving offences on August 26, 2021.
The court heard Stanios was spotted by police about 3pm on Mountain Highway after turning out of Elm St in Bayswater.
Stanios accelerated “heavily” which led to smoke coming from the Ford utility he was driving and the rear wheels to lose traction.
Police pulled Stanios over and did a breath test which detected alcohol in his system.
They impounded his car, and a second breath test at Boronia police station recorded a blood alcohol reading of .141 — almost three times the legal limit.
The court heard Stanios had five cans of beer from 2.30pm after he finished work, and when asked if he thought he was over the limit, he replied “of course”.
Stanios told Magistrate Marc Sargent there was “no excuse” for what he did, and he was suffering at the time from a divorce and fell into depression.
He told Mr Sargent he had been receiving treatment for his mental health at Maroondah Hospital and also undergoing mental health and alcohol counselling.
Magistrate Sargent told Stanios he felt he wasn’t trying to be a hoon, but with the effects of alcohol, he was “effectively clowning around and fortunately no one got injured”.
“Your first bad choice that day was to get behind the wheel, the second was to drive the way you did,” he said.
Magistrate Sargent suspended Stanios’ drivers licence for 14 months due to a prior drink driving conviction just over 10 years ago, and backdated it to the time of his most recent offence.
He also convicted and fined Stanios $1000 and ordered he undergo a safe driving program.
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