Dandenong court hears phone caller’s truck crash, drug refuser and self-incriminating vandal cases
A phone-using crash-causing truckie, a vandal who wrote his own name on a car and a drug-user with a “not fabulous” history were among those who fronted Dandenong Magistrates’ Court this week.
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Lucky truckie’s bad call ends in ban
A truck driver who was using his mobile phone when he veered across the road and smashed head-on into an oncoming car has been described as extremely lucky he didn’t end up being charged with culpable driving. The man, who has been steering rigs for over 20 years, was taking a call when he caused the crash on Ballarto Rd in Clyde on December 1 last year. The other driver was only slightly injured in the smash. The truck driver’s lawyer told the court he was on the phone to his boss at the time about a problem with the vehicle. The father of two lost his job due to the crash and is now looking for work as a stable hand. The magistrate described the collision as gravely serious, and said driving a truck at 100km/h while on the phone was a “recipe for disaster”. He was fined $1500 and disqualified for six months.
Scratch me if you can
A vehicle-scratching vandal carved his own name into the side of a stranger’s car because he falsely believed the owner had caused an accident. And then he later put a note on the car’s windscreen, again signed by the etcher, telling the innocent car-owner that he was “still alive”. The 47-year-old from Noble Park scratched his name onto the parked car with a house key in Springvale on August 16 this year and then on August 24 returned with the note. The victim reported it to police and the engraver was caught. In court his defence lawyer said he had serious mental health issues and had been hallucinating at the time. He was fined $350 and ordered to repay $858 to the man for the paint damage.
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Refuser a licence loser
A drug driver with a “significant, not fabulous history” of traffic-related crimes has been put off the road for four years. The man, who is currently in custody on remand for a separate matter, was caught driving along Herbert St in Dandenong on July 11 this year. His car had no number plates front or back, and when he was given a preliminary drug test, it proved positive. When he was asked to provide an evidentiary sample, he refused twice. He was homeless at the time and living in his car, which did have an unregistered vehicle permit. He also has a prior for refusing to take a test within the last 10 years, so his mandatory two year ban was doubled. He was disqualified from driving for four years and fined $400.