Drink-driver Jason Steadman hid car in car wash to avoid booze bus
Fourth time unlicensed drink-driver had to come clean after he was caught trying to hide his car in a car wash.
South East
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A RECIDIVIST drink-driver caught blotto behind the wheel again tried to avoid a booze bus by hiding his car in a car wash.
The misbehaving motorist, who had timed his previous over-the limit offending with Olympic years, was nabbed again this year.
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This was his fourth intoxicated indiscretion after being pinged in 2004, 2008 and 2012, when he was banned for 28 months.
He hasn’t held a driving licence since.
Jason Steadman pleaded guilty to a range of driving crimes at Frankston Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
The court heard the 48-year-old, who had been drinking, was on his way to buy milk when he came across a booze bus set up on Skye Rd, Frankston on March 31.
He tried to avoid being called into the line, signalling he wanted to go to the nearby servo.
Police went after him, seeing him pull into a car wash at the rear of the servo, hide his car and then walk towards the store.
When confronted he told officers he wasn’t the driver, he was on foot and the car hidden in the car wash wasn’t his car.
It was in fact his wife’s, and it was impounded.
He walked back to the booze bus, blew .1 and revealed he hadn’t got his licence back since he lost it in 2012.
In court his defence lawyer said Steadman, who runs an IT platform for greyhound racing, had alcohol problems due to stress issues at home involving his daughter.
He said he accepted it was “an error” to jump into his wife’s car to fetch some milk, and had believed the booze bus was an accident site and he didn’t need to stop.
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But magistrate Timothy Gattuso disputed that version of events, saying it was clear he knew police wanted him to stop but he avoided them because he had been drinking and had no licence.
“You’re not learning your lesson, I hope it doesn’t take imprisonment for you,” Mr Gattuso said.
Steadman was placed on a 12-month community corrections order, must do 60 hours of unpaid work, attend alcohol treatment and do a road safety course.
He also lost his licence for another 20 months.
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