Springvale student who took ice to complete homework crashed his car and fled scene
A Springvale student who needed to stay awake to complete three assignments in one day made an “absolutely ridiculous” move — and crashed his car into two parked cars before fleeing the scene as a result.
South East
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A student high on ice who crashed into two parked cars and then fled the scene has blamed his drug-driving on having too much homework.
P-plater Alexander Cheung was driving along Springvale Rd in Springvale when he careered into two stationary vehicles, causing significant damage to both as well as his own car.
A witness came to his aid and they briefly chatted before Cheung walked off down the road towards his home about 200m away.
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He went back a short time later, but by then police were already there waiting for him.
The 27-year-old from Springvale pleaded guilty to drug and careless driving and other traffic charges at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
The court heard the Audi that Cheung was driving smashed into a parked Toyota and then hit a Mazda SUV just before 3am on June 4.
He got out with the help of a witness, but he didn’t provide any details. About 3.30am police
saw Cheung walking back to the scene of the crash.
He tested positive for ice, and when asked why he had crashed, he said he had “no comment”.
When asked why he had driven while on drugs, he said he took ice to help him keep awake to do his homework.
In court his defence lawyer said Cheung, who was 26 years old at the time, was studying and had three assignments to do that day.
He said Cheung had been to see a mate who had given him drugs so he could stay awake before getting back in his car to go home.
He said he had left the scene because he had panicked after the crash and wanted to tell his parents, who were in court to support him, about what he had done.
He said Cheung was not a drug user other than this one time, had no priors of any kind and he would have to pay for this “for the rest of his life” because of the insurance costs related to the other cars.
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Magistrate Tara Hartnett said it was very fortunate no-one was hurt in Cheung’s “careless driving with ice on board”.
She said people often go to jail for accidents they caused when they are driving while on drugs.
“Your decision to use drugs to aid your studies was absolutely ridiculous,” Ms Hartnett said.
“(Drugs) are a very, very slippery slope; the use of them will only ever end badly, as you have found out.
“I really hope this was a one-off, you have opportunities a lot of people don’t have.”
Cheung was disqualified from driving for six months and fined $1200.