Kensington Grove man on way to buy engagement ring when police pulled him up

It’s not the excuse police would normally expect – the man told officers his girlfriend was in hospital for a serious, but incredibly peculiar, injury.

A man told police he was driving unlicensed because his girlfriend’s finger was bitten off by her pet cat.

Romantic man Robert Raymond Hayward was en route to withdraw money from the ATM to buy his girlfriend an engagement ring when he was pulled over by police.

Hayward admits he cracked some “wise-ass” jokes with police because he wasn’t speeding or “doing anything silly”.

The 30-year-old told Gatton Magistrates Court he was pulled over in Brassall because the car was registered to a young woman, which he is not.

“I wasn’t argumentative towards the police, I was kind of cracking wise-ass jokes when I asked why did they pulled me over,” Hayward said.

The court heard the Kensington Grove man was driving his partner’s car while she was in hospital recovering from an injury involving a domestic animal.

Police prosecutor sergeant Narelle Lowe detailed the case.

“His partner was in hospital after recently having her finger bitten off by a dog and he had driven down to the area to withdraw some money so he could purchase an engagement ring for her,” sergeant Lowe said.

Hayward put the record straight, saying it was in fact a cat that had bitten his girlfriend’s finger.

“They had to cut all the way down her finger into her hand. It was an infection from the cat,” he said.

Sergeant Lowe told the court routine checks revealed Hayward didn’t have a driver’s licence, and in fact, his learner’s permit had expired in 2015.

Further checks revealed he was SPER suspended since February.

Hayward told the court he and his now fiancee were now expecting their first child and it motivated him to change his behaviour.

“I have to pull my socks up,” he said.

Hayward pleaded guilty to one charge of driving unlicensed.

He was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for one month.

Originally published as Kensington Grove man on way to buy engagement ring when police pulled him up