Rajamani Acharya sentenced after Gladstone car crash
Heading home from an event where his son was parish priest, a Queensland driver ended up stranded with a flat tyre. Things got worse when police turned up.
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It was just before 9pm when a grey ute crashed near the Gladstone Power Station.
The vehicle’s bullbar was damaged and it had a flat tyre.
When police arrived at the scene about 11.15pm, Rajamani Acharya was sitting in the driver’s seat.
He told police he had driven from an event “in town” at the senior citizens centre where his priest son had played a role.
He had drunk red wine and was on his way home to Yeppoon when he “hit something” on Hanson Road and had to stop due to the flat tyre.
Acharya later returned a blood alcohol reading of .079.
The 76-year-old accepted this version of events in Gladstone Magistrates Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to drink driving and more details surrounding the May 10 crash were revealed.
Solicitor Jun Pepito said Acharya was self-employed and his son was a parish priest at the event he had attended in Gladstone.
Mr Pepito said a room had been arranged for Acharya to stay the night but he thought he would be okay to drive home.
The court heard Acharya had no prior offending of this sort.
Magistrate Mary Buchanan fined Acharya $450 and disqualified him from driving for one month.
No traffic conviction was recorded.
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Originally published as Rajamani Acharya sentenced after Gladstone car crash
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