WA dad fined after drink driving charge from eating rum balls

A Perth driver didn’t realise how potent one particular ingredient in a dessert was, and it landed him in trouble with police.

A Perth P-plater has been fined for a positive breath test after eating rum balls.

Tommy Keefe, 44, was eating the treats at a friend’s birthday party at the end of August, and kept eating them in the car on the way to his hotel room, unaware of how strong they were.

“Cakes are cakes,” Tommy told Nine News Perth at the weekend. “Who’s going to question a cake?”

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The iconic treat landed a WA father in trouble. Picture: Nine News

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He was pulled over for a breath test on his way to the hotel.

“I was still eating them, very confident that I was going to pass. Turns out I didn’t.”

He returned a reading of 0.038.

In WA the legal limit for P-plate drivers is 0.02.

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Tommy said he was grateful to the judge for showing mercy. Picture: Nine News

Having pleaded guilty, Tommy was given a reduced suspension of three months and fined the minimum amount.

“I’m very thankful to the judge for doing that,” the father of six said.

Perth doctor Joe Kosterich said a more accurate test probably wouldn’t have led to any fines.

“A breath test is a proxy for blood alcohol levels. If this person had a blood-alcohol level taken I suspect their levels would have been undetectable,” Dr Kosterich told Nine News Perth.

Originally published as WA dad fined after drink driving charge from eating rum balls