Mark Jonker: Banned dad drove as scared of son getting bus Covid
A Mornington father avoided public transport like the plague, instead repeatedly getting behind the wheel without a valid licence.
South East
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A doting dad caught three times driving while disqualified or suspended said he was doing it to protect his boy from the pandemic.
Mark Jonker was worried about his son getting Covid-19 from public transport so instead kept on jumping behind the wheel of a car.
The 44-year-old Mornington motorist pleaded guilty to three suspended or disqualified driving and two speeding charges at the Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
The court heard Jonker had been banned for six months for failing a roadside drug test in December 2019.
Yet three months later, in February 2020, he was seen cruising along Peninsula Link in Frankston.
He was intercepted and had the car impounded for 30 days at a cost of around $1000.
Four months after that he was picked up speeding at 75km/h in a 60km/h zone on Nepean Highway in Frankston.
He was again driving illegally, this time because he had failed to complete the mandatory drug-driving course imposed from his previous suspension.
Again he lost the car for 30 days, and handed over another $1000 in fees to get it out.
By August last year he still had not done the drug program, so was now banned indefinitely.
Despite this he was nabbed driving yet again, this time in Bungower Rd, Mornington, speeding and without a valid licence.
Defence lawyer Eileen Foley said although Jonker did have criminal and traffic priors he didn’t have any driving while disqualified history.
She said the disability support pensioner was scared about his son getting Covid on buses so “stupidly drove” and had already paid a heavy financial penalty through two costly impounds.
She said he was now abstinent from drugs and had contingencies in place so the boy could be driven around legally.
Magistrate Charles Tan said it seemed like Jonker decided to simply ignore suspensions.
“You wanted to protect your son, you didn’t want him on public transport,” Mr Tan said.
“But that is no excuse for breaking the law.”
He was convicted and fined a total of $1800.
