Southeast drink-drivers’ flimsy excuses for dangerous behaviour
From footballers to filmmakers and lawyers to real estate agents, those putting lives at risk by driving drunk come from all walks of life. Here’s just some of those who fronted southeast Melbourne courts after being caught over the limit.
South East
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From long-lunching lawyers to wining-and-dining real estate agents and booze-fuelled bad dates to smashed snackers found asleep in a fast food drive-through, southeast magistrates’ courts have heard it all.
Add them to tanked-up train-crashers, blotto film producers, fleeing footballers and stumped cricketers and there has been a plethora of plastered punters leaving courts with licence-loss hangovers.
Here are some of the most memorable cases from the past two years.
GOING, GOING, GONE
Prominent Peninsula real estate agency boss Kayn Luff had to endure a negative hearing in court after he was clocked travelling at 106km/h in a 80km/h zone after a long liquid lunch at a Red Hill vineyard.
Dromana Magistrates’ Court heard the OBrien Real Estate director “badly misjudged” his level of intoxication after hammering down “five or six wines over a five or six-hour lunch” before recording a blood alcohol reading of .106.
His lawyer said the drink-driving charge had a “sobering effect, no pun intended” on Luff, who has no priors for any crimes.
His online bio stated “we go that extra mile and succeed” and he “was always looking for ways to improve”.
The magistrate suggested not drinking before getting behind the wheel was a good way to achieve exactly that.
He was convicted, fined and banned for 10 months.
More here: HAMMERED ESTATE AGENT GOING GOING GONE
FILM FELLOW’S FAIL
An internationally renowned movie man has starred in court, pleading guilty to drink-driving after crashing his car while five times over the limit.
Wolf Creek producer David Lightfoot, who also worked on Babe and Bad Boy Bubby, collapsed on an Elsternwick street before registering 0.253.
Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court heard the 59-year-old, who now lives in South Australia, was involved in a low-speed smash on Glen Huntly Rd before getting out of his car and collapsing onto the road.
When he was later interviewed by police he said he had drunk a miniature bottle of vodka 45 minutes before the crash to “calm his nerves” as he was “shaking badly”.
His lawyer said Lightfoot suffered serious liver problems and “he just can’t drink any more, drinking will kill him”.
He was convicted and fined $2000 and had his licence disqualified for two years.
More here: WOLF CREEK MOVIE MAN'S DRINK DRIVE SHAME
HUNGRY, THIRSTY
A tired drunk, keen on stopping at KFC to have an evening snack, didn’t make it home – he didn’t even make it through the drive-through.
Gurbinder Dhillon had been drinking for five hours at a Pakenham pub when he felt like chicken tonight and thought he could wing it and go and pick up some of Colonel Sanders’ finest.
Dandenong Magistrates’ Court heard he got in his car, drove next door to the Princes Highway chicken restaurant and waited in the drive-through lane before falling asleep.
Irate customers complained to staff that a driver was blocking their line, police were called and he blew .11.
The former taxi-driver was fined $600 and disqualified from driving for 11 months.
More here: DRINK DRIVER SLEPT IN KFC DRIVE-THROUGH
LOVE IS (BEING) BLIND
A drink-driver has sobbed as a court heard how she blew three times over the legal limit after a booze-fuelled “bad date”.
Olivia Jane Milinski was nabbed by police after witnesses spotted her weaving down the road on her way home from an ill-fated night out.
Frankston Magistrates’ Court heard the 26-year-old downed at least four glasses of rosé and tried to drive from the Parkdale railway station.
But she was pulled over by police and recorded a reading of .167.
She told the court her date “kept buying me drink after drink” and she “had a really bad night, a bad date, I’m just so sorry.”
Milinski was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond, ordered to do a road trauma awareness course and disqualified from driving for 20 months.
More here: BOOZE-FUELLED BAD DATE ENDS IN BIG BAN
OVER AND OUT
Cricketer Christopher Allan Smith who’d had a mammoth innings on the turps with his Pakenham pals wished he had pulled up stumps a little earlier.
Dandenong Magistrates’ Court heard he had declared at 2am but still registered a score of .111 at 4pm the following day after downing about 15 pre-mixed drinks.
He said he was “astonished” he had recorded a reading so high, saying although he had a hangover, he didn’t feel like he shouldn’t be driving.
The carpenter represented himself in court and said the incident had “opened his eyes” and he had learnt a very valuable lesson.
He was fined $400 and disqualified from driving for 11 months.
More here: CRICKETER BLOWS 0.111 ARVO AFTER PARTY
ON THE WRONG TRACK
A drunk who was so out of it she didn’t realise she was stuck on a level crossing luckily managed to flee her car moments before a train ploughed into it.
Siobhan Hewett was extremely lucky not to have been killed when her silver hatchback was struck by a train at the New St and Beach Rd crossing in Brighton.
She had managed to stagger out of her car just before the impact, and was found in a dazed and disorderly state standing by the tracks.
The 46-year-old Murrumbeena chef had cooked up a recipe for disaster by downing wines, vodkas and liqueur at a pal’s house before getting behind the wheel and then blowing .211.
No-one on the train was hurt.
An “extremely ashamed, embarrassed” and “incredibly remorseful” Hewett was given a 12-month good behaviour bond, ordered to pay $400 to the court fund and disqualified from driving for 42 months.
More here: FOUR TIMES OVER DRUNK'S CAR HIT BY TRAIN
RECKLESS RAGER
An angry alcoholic who argued with his partner and sped off at nearly 200km/h while four times over the limit, then smashed into an innocent motorist.
Sumit Lakshman reached a speed of 194km/h in an 80km/h zone in Dandenong South before he hit another car at around 164km/h.
Dandenong Magistrates’ Court heard his vehicle rolled five times yet somehow he walked away without major injury. The other driver was also not seriously hurt.
A sample of his blood recorded an alcohol reading of .226.
His defence lawyer conceded the 29-year-old powder coat worker had a serious alcohol problem.
He was jailed for three months, ordered to do a two-year community corrections order upon release and disqualified from driving for five years.
More here: JAIL FOR DRUNK DRIVER’S 160KMH CRASH
‘SPARROW’ GROUNDED
A Rye footballer nicknamed “Sparrow” who had been drinking with his mates at a Sorrento hotel before getting behind the wheel has fronted court.
Sam Smith’s driving certainly wasn’t best on ground when he crashed into a garden before fleeing the scene.
The tough-tackling Rye Demon was nabbed soon after by the dog squad hiding under a nearby house.
He was asked to provide a breath sample, but refused, saying he wanted a drink of water.
Dromana Magistrates’ Court heard the 31-year-old had a poor past when it comes to drinking and driving, having also refused a breath test before.
He was told he was “on the cusp of going to jail”, but escaped with a conviction, fine of $2250 and a four-year ban.
More here: DRUNK DRIVER RYE FOOTBALLER ‘SPARROW' SMITH GROUNDED
I FOUGHT THE LAW, AND THE LAW WON
As a lawyer of many years’ standing he should have known better than to get liquored up at a lunch and then drive home.
But that is exactly what Roderic Lindquist did before he was pulled over in Mt Martha in an unregistered car while speeding.
Dromana Magistrates’ Court heard the South Melbourne 63-year-old was registered travelling at 118km/h in a 100km/h zone on Peninsula Link before blowing .155.
He told police he had been to a lunch with a mate and he had drunk four glasses of wine, but gave no reason for his speeding or for driving an unregistered car.
The magistrate said he “should have known better than this” and “made alternative arrangements” before fining him and banning him for 15 months.
More here: LONG LUNCHING LAWYER NABBED THREE TIMES OVER
OUT ON THE FULL
A promising Peninsula player had to use his pushbike to get to training after he was pinged for drink-driving while speeding with no lights on.
Frankston Magistrates’ Court heard Sorrento Sharks footballer Danny Stephenson was seen motoring along Nepean Highway in Mornington around 30km/h over the limit.
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Officers pulled him up to find out he was a P-plater driving his girlfriend’s car.
He then registered an alcohol score of .104 – when he should have been zero.
He told police he had been drinking Red Bull and vodkas at a party and admitted he had “had one too many”.
Stephenson was convicted, fined $600 and had his driving licence disqualified for 10 months.
More here: GUN FOOTBALLER SCORES DRINK DRIVE BAN
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