Four Townsville drink drivers banned from driving for 35 months and fined $3600
A Townsville army worker was busted driving three times over the legal driving limit after crashing her car on the way home from a night out on the town
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A Townsville army worker was busted driving three times over the legal driving limit after crashing her car on the way home from a night out on the town.
Nicole Kristin Sandow, 21, was noticed by police conducting foot patrols on Flinders St sitting in her damaged car on October 10 this year.
Police prosecutor Tasman Murphy said Sandow returned a result of .188 per cent BAC.
Sandow pleaded guilty in the Townsville Magistrates Court to drive under the influence.
Her defence lawyer said she had joined the army when she was 18 and had hit a concrete bollard when she was leaving town.
Magistrate Steven Mosch fined her $1250 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
A conviction was not recorded.
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A government worker has been snapped driving five times over the legal limit on the way home from her local service station.
On October 18 this year police were given Jenny Michelle McCoy’s car registration number after she made a purchase at the Aitkenvale Caltex petrol station.
Police prosecutor Tim Madsen said McCoy was intercepted by police as she exited the service station for a breath test.
Road side results revealed McCoy was driving more than five times the legal limit returning a reading of .265 per cent.
“It is a very significant breath alcohol concentration,” Mr Madsen said.
The 52-year-old wiped away tears as she self represented herself in the Townsville Magistrates Court where she pleaded guilty to drive under the influence.
She told Magistrate Ken Taylor she worked for the government and had been talking to the union as she would lose her job if she lost her licence.
“I am very ashamed of myself for doing that. I honestly didn’t think I was that much over the limit or anything otherwise I wouldn’t have drove,” she said.
“I was 400m to home from where I was caught.”
McCoy said it was “out of character” for her to drink.
Mr Mosch fined McCoy $1200 and disqualified her from driving for 15 months.
A conviction was recorded.
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A young bartender on a provisional licence has told a court she was not intending to drive home after being busted for drink driving.
Alyssa Dorothy Musgrove, 19, appeared in the Townsville Magistrates Court where she pleaded guilty to drive over the general alcohol limit but not over the mid alcohol limit.
Police prosecutor Tim Madsen said at 2.30am on October 10 this year police noticed Musgrove enter her vehicle on Flinders St.
Mr Madsen said Musgrove was pulled over for the purpose of a breath test and returned a road side reading of .087.
Musgrove told Magistrate Ken Taylor she worked at The Ville Resort-Casino and was only relocating her car.
“I was not intending to drive home, I was moving my vehicle and I understand the consequences and I have learnt my lesson from it,” she said.
Mr Taylor fined Musgrove $350 and disqualified her from driving for three months.
A conviction was recorded.
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A man whose car burst into flames after crashing into a tree has told a court it didn’t help it was a paperbark tree.
Ethan Noel Ross Skinner, 23, crashed his car in Thuringowa on August 28 this year.
Police prosecutor Tim Madsen said police were alerted to a single vehicle crash at 9.35pm.
“They arrived, the vehicle had essentially crashed into a tree. It was fully engulfed in flames so they spoke to the defendant,” he said.
“He said he was travelling about 50km/hr … he lost control and swerved on the other side of the road and collided with a tree.”
Skinner was transported to hospital where he gave a blood sample.
The sample revealed he had .128ml of alcohol per litre of blood.
Skinner pleaded guilty to driver to have proper control of a vehicle and driving while over the middle alcohol limit but not over the high alcohol limit.
Self-representing himself in the Townsville Magistrates Court, Skinner told Magistrate Ken Taylor that he was uninsured and would have to start walking to work.
“What I did, I am not proud of. I made the mistake of driving, I can’t take that back,” he said.
“It didn’t help that it was a paperbark tree.”
Mr Taylor acknowledged that Skinner would face difficulties without a driver’s licence.
“You have recognised that you shouldn’t have been behind the wheel and you will suffer some punishment getting to and from work,” he said.
Skinner was fined $800 and disqualified from driving for five months.
Convictions were recorded.
Originally published as Four Townsville drink drivers banned from driving for 35 months and fined $3600