Drunk, drug-driver ‘watching TV’ on home detention after high speed crash that cost woman her leg

A MAN who was drunk, speeding and high on drugs when he crashed his LandCruiser, injuring his fiancee and another woman whose leg later had to be amputated is back ‘watching TV’ on home detention

A MAN who was drunk, speeding and high on drugs when he crashed his LandCruiser in Girraween, injuring his fiancee and another woman whose leg later had to be amputated is back “watching TV” on home detention.

Lachlan James Tomlin, 26, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to dangerous driving causing serious harm following the crash on Hicks Rd on March last year.

The court heard Tomlin was high on ecstasy and more than twice the legal alcohol limit when he got behind the wheel and repeatedly veered off the road before crashing at a speed of “at least” 120km/h.

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The LandCruiser rolled for almost 50m and Tomlin and the two women were thrown from the vehicle and taken to Royal Darwin Hospital where his cousin’s girlfriend’s leg later had to be amputated above the knee as a result of the crash.

Tomlin later recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.126.

In sentencing Tomlin to six months home detention, Chief Justice Michael Grant said Tomlin’s own serious injuries were “the consequences of your conduct”.

“But I do accept that they would make any period of actual imprisonment far more onerous on you than a member of the general population,” he said.

Chief Justice Grant said he accepted Tomlin was of prior good character and references describing him as “generally kind and reliable, conscientious, hardworking and a valued member of the community”.

Lachlan James Tomlin leaves the Darwin Local Court with his fiancee after pleading guilty to a string of offences including speeding and drink and drug driving.

While Chief Justice Grant said Tomlin’s moral culpability was “extremely high”, his prospects for rehabilitation would not “in any way be enhanced by a sentence which required you to serve a period of actual imprisonment”.

Tomlin next fronted the Darwin Local Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to a string of driving offences over the crash, including drink and drug driving and speeding.

In handing him a $2500 fine, judge Greg Cavanagh said Tomlin’s earlier punishment appeared to be a “magnificently lenient sentence”.

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“Of course I’m not here to criticise the learned Chief Justice,” he said.

“(But) he gets home detention for driving around, what was he, how drunk was he? 0.126, doing 120 (km/h).

“As well as being drunk, he had a quantity of (MDMA) in himself and (now) he’s home watching TV.”

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