Ingham court: Dane O’Neill, Noel Lamb, Kerri-Ann Salkeld on drink-drive charges

A man who made the mistake of stopping at his mates for a quick after-work rum was one of three drink drivers to appear in the same court on the same day.

Dane Michael O’Neill, 45, Kerri-Ann Elizabeth Salkeld, 43, and Noel Ivan Lamb, 63, all pleaded guilty in the Ingham Magistrates Court on the same day to drink-driving in or near the small Hinchinbrook town of Halifax. Picture: Cameron Bates

A man who made the mistake of stopping at his father’s house for an after-work beer and then at a mates for a quick rum was one of three drink drivers to appear in the same North Queensland court on the same day.

“I was on my way home, I stopped in at my father’s to give him a hand to clean up the yard and I had a couple of beers with him to catch up,” Dane Michael O’Neill, 45, told the Ingham Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to drink driving in Halifax on September 27.

“I’ve made my way home and I’ve pulled into another friend’s house and stupidly had another couple of rums with him,” he said.

O’Neill, a boilermaker by trade who owns his own business and frequently travels, recorded a BAC reading of 0.078 at a static police intercept in Halifax at 5.30pm.

“I realise the mistake I’ve made,” the full-time father of four said.

Dane Michael O’Neill, 45, pleaded guilty in the Ingham Magistrates Court to drink driving in Halifax on September 27. Picture: Cameron Bates

Magistrate Patricia Kirkman-Scroope said the offence was out of character, with the exception of a drink-drive conviction in 1997.

The defendant was fined $350, disqualified from driving for the minimum-mandatory one-month period.

The well-spoken, self-represented tradie, still clad in his work gear, talked himself out of a conviction.

Noel Ivan Lamb, 63, pleaded guilty in the Ingham Magistrates Court to driving under the influence of alcohol (UIL) with a high-range BAC of 0.157, well over three times the legal limit, on September 30. Picture: Cameron Bates

Noel Lamb

A shaking Noel Ivan Lamb, 63, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol (UIL) with a high-range BAC of 0.157, well over three times the legal limit, on September 30.

Lamb told the court that he had been drinking at the Halifax Hotel when he was busted in a police roadblock on Four Mile Rd in Braemeadows at 4pm.

He said he had just been diagnosed with a disease that meant he could no longer work.

“I was on a bit of a binge, I didn’t have any food at the house, wasn’t thinking straight … I’m on these drugs to stop smoking because of the lung disease and they kind of mess with your head.”

Magistrate Kirkman-Scroope said that was incidental considering the high alcohol reading, which would have badly impaired his perceptions.

She was impressed with the fact that the defendant only had three entries on his traffic record and no criminal convictions over the course of his life, saying the offence was out of character, he was genuinely remorseful and had occurred during a highly stressful time in his life.

Lamb was fined $650 and disqualified from driving for the minimum-mandatory six months.

No conviction was recorded.

Kerri-Ann Elizabeth Salkeld, 43, pleaded guilty in the Ingham Magistrates Court to drink driving at Taylors Beach on October 4. Picture: Cameron Bates

Kerri-Ann Salkeld

A contrite cleaner from Taylors Beach lost her licence for four months after pleading guilty to mid-range drink driving in the seaside town on October 4.

Prosecutor Kimberley Rogers-Ford said Kerri-Ann Elizabeth Salkeld, 43, recorded a BAC of 0.113 driving her car on a probationary licence at 6.50pm.

“The defendant was intercepted while turning into a driveway and she made admissions to police that she had been drinking beer and rum and knew that she would be over the legal limit.”

She said the defendant had a prior drug-drive conviction in August, 2023, urging an eight-month disqualification.

Kerri-Ann Elizabeth Salkeld, 43, is startled by a bird outside the Ingham Magistrates Court. She pleaded guilty to drink driving at Taylors Beach on October 4. Picture: Cameron Bates

Defence lawyer Fleur Lettice said the loss of licence would cause hardship as she was self-employed, urging a sentence closer to the minimum three months.

Magistrate Kirkman-Scroope noted a prior UIL conviction for a BAC of 0.187 in 2011, for which the defendant was disqualified from driving for nine months.

“It’s disappointing to see you back before the court, although the offence in 2011 was some 13 years ago.”

Salkeld was convicted, fined $600 and disqualified from driving for four months.

Originally published as Ingham court: Dane O’Neill, Noel Lamb, Kerri-Ann Salkeld on drink-drive charges