Dromana’s dodgy drivers blame a dog, a diff, the internet and being too popular as excuses for crimes
An injured puppy, a dubious diff, a too-popular partying P-plater and “the internet” were some of the weird excuses for dodgy driving offered up to the bench at Dromana Magistrates’ Court.
South East
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Puppy in peril a cause for concern
A compassionate canine carer who was caught speeding while on a suspended licence said she was racing her injured pooch to the vet. The not-for-profit disability support worker was seen by police at Safety Beach at 8.25pm on July 17 this year doing 119km/h in the 100km/h zone. She was also suspended at the time due to demerit points, and her car was impounded. Her lawyer told the court the 24-year-old had been working in NSW, so didn’t realise she had been suspended from driving in Victoria. She said she was scared and anxious that night because her puppy had broken its leg and she was racing to the vet. She was remorseful and this was her first offence. The magistrate said she had excellent references, was doing great work in the community and had a plausible explanation, but not an excuse, for speeding. She was given a 12-month good behaviour bond and must pay $750 to the court fund.
Partying P-plater a popular person
A teenage driver just 15 minutes into his P2 licence has been busted with two people in the boot of his sedan. The 19-year-old had driven from his Mt Eliza home to a party in Frankston when he was pulled over by police at 12.15am on July 20 this year. Officers had noticed his car was heavily weighed down at the back, and when they stopped him, five people got out of the car. And then another two got out of the boot. The car was impounded for 30 days. He said the six mates really wanted to party with him and he was happy to take them. He told the court he didn’t have enough room in the car, so put the two mates in the boot. He said he knew it could be dangerous, but it was safer than that pair driving, as they had been drinking. The labourer was given a no-conviction 12-month good behaviour bond, ordered to pay $500 to the court fund and do a road trauma awareness seminar.
Dodgy diff throws cog in the works
A four-time in a fortnight speeder has escaped a fine after telling a magistrate his over-the-limit driving was down to suspect mechanicals in his car. The Crib Point asbestos removal worker was nabbed twice in his home town, and twice more on Peninsula Link between January 7 and January 19 this year. Each time he was doing 6-8km/h over the posted speed limit. He took the fines to court, saying he had recently bought the VE Commodore from a car dealer and there was a problem with the speedometer. He had the car inspected by a professional mechanic who verified it had had a diff change and the speedo was reading approximately 9 per cent too low. The car was fixed and there have been no speeding tickets since. The magistrate accepted his reasoning and dismissed the fines, but the demerit points remain.
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‘I read about it on the internet’
A speeding driver who blamed a malfunctioning camera as the reason he was caught going too fast says he knows it was a dodgy device because he read about it on the internet. The Somers security company boss was pinged doing 52km/h in a 40km/h zone in King St in West Melbourne on January 5 this year. He fought the fine in court, saying the camera was faulty and was shut down in February. The magistrate asked the man how he was going to prove it was a dodgy camera, and he replied “it is on the internet”. The magistrate said “if someone on the internet said it was a conspiracy, that is not evidence” and it was on the onus of the speedster to factually prove there was an error with the equipment. The man relented and pleaded guilty to one charge of speeding. He was given a six-month good behaviour bond, with no conviction recorded.