Brazilian drunk driver avoids jail after appeal

HE SAYS he is “living the dream” in Australia, but this Brazilian faces deportation after being caught drink driving with seven people in the car.

A BRAZILIAN man jailed for drink driving with eight passengers in a car with a flat tyre has been given a good behaviour bond on appeal.

Arthur Rohsig, who previously described himself as a “sick c*** living the dream” on social media, blew 0.172 after being pulled over at Phillip Bay in Sydney’s southeast on April 30.

Police alleged seven people were crammed onto the back seat of the Subaru Forester, and 24-year-old Rohsig, who has a long traffic record, laughed when police explained the seriousness of the offence.

After pleading guilty to high-range drink-driving with more than four unrestrained passengers, Local Court magistrate Jacqueline Milledge sentenced him in July to six-months behind bars.

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself,” she told him. “Thank God the police were there.” The magistrate said Rohsig, who is on a student visa, was “immature”, had acted with “arrogance” and was a “disaster waiting to happen” before being stopped by police.

In addition to the jail sentence, Ms Milledge suspended Rohsig from driving for nine months for the drink-driving crime.

He was also fined $1500 and suspended for six months for the unrestrained offence.

But Rohsig’s lawyer immediately appealed against the drink-driving sentence and he was granted strict conditional bail.

At the Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday, Judge Paul Conlon set aside Rohsig’s prison sentence and instead imposed an 18-month good behaviour bond.

The court heard Rohsig wrote a letter telling of his love for Australia and wasn’t thinking clearly the night of the offence.

“There are no excuses for what I did that day. My stupid and thoughtless behaviour has transformed my life. It has lost me the opportunity to complete my studies, meaning I will never receive the diploma I moved here for.”

Channel 9 reported he had a meeting scheduled at the Immigration Department today where he expected he would be deported.