Former NT Police officer Stuart Winter escapes conviction after drink driving in Darwin

A decorated 20-year police veteran has narrowly avoided conviction after he was caught drink driving at five times the legal limit. What the court heard.

Police veteran and former diver Stuart Winter has escaped conviction after driving five times the legal limit. Picture: Judith Aisthorpe

A decorated 20-year police veteran has escaped a conviction after pleading guilty to drink driving at five times the legal limit.

On Wednesday, former NT Police diver Stuart John Winter appeared in the Darwin Local Court charged with driving at high range, and on a footpath.

The court heard that on the afternoon of September 10, 2024, a drunk Winter got behind the wheel of his LandCruiser and drove along Vanderlin Drive at Leanyer.

Winter then mounted a curb roadside and continued to drive along the footpath.

After being pulled over by police, Winter returned a blood-alcohol reading of .262.

Winter’s lawyer, Peter Maley, said his client suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder relating to his police service and had developed an issue with alcohol.

“He had been grappling with issues relating to alcohol and binge-drinking,” he said.

Stuart Winter is a veteran NT Police diver. Picture: Picture: Katrina Bridgeford.

The court also heard Winter personally put himself on the banned drinking register following the incident, and that he was studying at Charles Darwin University to begin a new career.

Prosecutors argued Winter’s offence warranted conviction, and that Winter’s mental condition “must be weighed against the severity of the offending”.

Judge Greg MacDonald spoke to Winter directly.

“You’ve served as a member of the NT Police for over 20 years, I’m sure you’ve attended fatalities that are alcohol related,” he said.

“Your reading on September 10 was particularly high, it’s not an excuse whatsoever.”

The court heard that Winter had put himself on the banned drinking register. Picture: Amanda Parkinson

Judge MacDonald noted Winter had not been entirely honest with authorities upon his arrest.

“I’ve got to say, you weren’t entirely frank and honest with the members who arrested you,” he said.

“You may not have given any grief – as you should – but you should have fessed up to exactly how much you had to drink; you clearly had a large amount to drink.”

Winter was fined $1800, disqualified from driving for one year and handed a community corrections order of one year.

No conviction was recorded, with Judge MacDonald considering the impact of a conviction on Winters’ future vocations.