Nathan Rupp: Five-time drink-driver avoids jail by ‘razor’s edge’
A goon-loving gardener was caught boozed-up behind the wheel again – just three weeks after he lost his licence for drink-driving.
South East
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A road rule rogue with a desire to drive while drunk or disqualified – or both – has narrowly escaped being sent to prison.
Nathan Rupp was nabbed over the limit less than a month after he had been told by a court not to drive.
The landscape company boss was then caught again behind the wheel a few months after that, still without a valid licence.
The 38-year-old, who lives in Burwood, has a terrible rap sheet which now lists five drink drives in his horror history.
Rupp pleaded guilty to a raft of traffic charges at the Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
The court heard he had been banned by a magistrate for 11 months on October 14, 2019 for drink-driving.
But on November 7 that year – just three weeks later – he was seen by police in Mt Martha.
His car was flagged as unregistered and linked to a disqualified driver, and he was breath-tested, blowing a reading of .062.
His car was impounded for 30 days, costing him around $1000 to get back.
On March 25 last year he was again pulled over by police for driving unlicensed, and although he wasn’t drunk on this occasion his car still had no rego.
Defence lawyer Luke Simpson said Rupp was going through a relationship breakdown at the time and had driven to the beach because he was “not in an okay frame of mind”.
He said there was a large gap in his drink-drive record between 2004 and the 2019 incidents and he had “changed his relationship with alcohol” since.
He said he had four staff that were reliant on his client for their jobs and livelihoods, and he had made provisions for his workers to drive him to and from jobsites.
Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge said Rupp’s behaviour was self-indulgent, and he was very, very fortunate not to be going to jail.
“He was sentenced by a court and three weeks later went out and committed exactly the same offences,” Mr Lethbridge said.
“This is an absolute razor’s edge.
“It is only the large gap in offending what saves you (from prison) today.”
He said there would be no leniency if he was caught driving while disqualified or drunk again, and he would face a lengthy period behind bars.
Rupp was placed on a 15-month community corrections order and he must do 150 hours of unpaid work.
And he lost his licence – again – this time for another 18 months.
