Drunk man pinched LandCruiser while owner hung from window as ‘an early Christmas present’

A drunk man who drove off in a LandCruiser at the Darwin Ski Club while the vehicle’s owner hung out the window was giving himself ‘an early Christmas present’, a court has heard.

A drunk man drove off in someone else’s LandCruiser at the Darwin Ski Club in December, a court has heard

A DRUNK man who drove off in a LandCruiser at the Darwin Ski Club while the vehicle’s owner hung out the window was giving himself “an early Christmas present”, a court has heard.

Elias Pulipuaminni, 33, pleaded guilty in the Darwin Local Court on Monday to aggravated unlawful use of a motor vehicle and high range drink-driving following the incident in December last year.

The court heard the other man had parked his LandCruiser on the ski club’s boat ramp with the key in the ignition when Pulipuaminni approached him at about 9pm on December 3 and they started chatting.

The other man initially engaged Pulipuaminni but ended the conversation after Pulipuaminni asked for money and alcohol and Pulipuaminni then got into the LandCruiser and started driving away.

The other man gave chase and climbed in through the window but Pulipuaminni kept driving and the vehicle owner eventually fell out and Pulipuaminni drove off.

Police caught up with Pulipuaminni driving around Palmerston in the early hours of the following morning and took him to the watch house where he recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.188.

When the officers asked Pulipuaminni why he took the LandCruiser he told them: “I was giving myself an early Christmas present”.

In urging the court to consider imposing a partially suspended sentence, Pulipuaminni’s lawyer, Marty Aust, said the offending was “spontaneous and opportunistic”.

“Unfortunately, this is an instance of an intoxicated man making really what is a stupid decision,” he said.

Mr Aust said Pulipuaminni had travelled to Darwin from Wurrumiyanga to visit his nephew in jail and ironically, “he’s now had a lot of time with his nephew”.

He said if the court did suspend part of Pulipuaminni‘s sentence, it should be on the condition he stayed on Bathurst Island, where he could stay out of trouble.

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But prosecutor Harry Hollingsworth said it appeared to be “a miracle” that no one was hurt and that good fortune did not make the offending less serious.

Pulipuaminni will return to court for sentencing on January 31 where judge Greg MacDonald said he would “inevitably” be sent back to prison.