Baylee Amson-Cook pleaded guilty to driving while suspended and with drugs in his system

A Victorian man can’t drive for more than three years after he lied to Sunshine Coast police about getting behind the wheel twice after being suspended for drug driving.

A Victorian man has been banned from driving on Queensland roads for more than three years after he had previously been suspended for drug driving.

Baylee Amson-Cook, 24, pleaded guilty in Noosa Magistrates Court on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 to two counts of driving with a relevant drug in his system and two counts of driving without a licence.

Police prosecutor sergeant Alison Johnstone said the brick layer been caught drug driving on March 13, 2022, at Noosaville and also on April 1, 2022, at Coolum Beach.

Amson-Cook – who represented himself – told the court he regularly smokes medically prescribed cannabis at night time but it was “obviously still in his system and the outcome won’t change”.

The court heard as a result of the two positive drug test results Amson-Cook had his Victorian licence suspended.

Baylee Amson-Cook pleaded guilty in Noosa Magistrates Court to drug driving and driving while disqualified. Picture: Social media

Sergeant Johnstone said despite denying it, Amson-Cook was caught twice driving a car while suspended within the span of two days on April 4 and 6, 2022.

She said police spoke with Amson-Cook on April 4 after they were called to a resort in Noosaville for unrelated reasons.

He had a set of car keys in his hand and was asked to attend the police station when he denied he was ever driving that day.

“When he was informed about the CCTV cameras, he admitted to driving the vehicle,” Sergeant Johnstone said.

Amson-Cook was later observed on April 6 by two police officers to be driving on David Low Way.

“(The officers) found the vehicle at Marcoola at a shop where (Amson-Cook) was in the front passenger seat and an adult female was now in the driver’s seat,” Sergeant Johnstone said.

“Police asked the (Amson-Cook) why he was driving, he said he wasn’t because he knew he had been suspended.

“(Amson-Cook) continued to deny driving the vehicle, with police informing that both officers had observed him to be driving the vehicle and there was dashcam footage from the vehicle as well.”

Baylee Amson-Cook pleaded guilty in Noosa Magistrates Court to drug driving and driving while disqualified. Picture: Social media

Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist said Amson-Cook had made some “poor choices” in deciding to keep driving despite being disqualified.

Amson-Cook was convicted, fined $2000 and disqualified for three-and-a-half years from driving.

He will be eligible to apply for his licence back after two years if he doesn’t drive in the meantime.

“Don’t get emboldened that you drove twice and didn’t get caught, (police) will know,” Mr Stjernqvist said.

“They’ll ask the neighbours how many times you’ve got in the car and gone down to the bakery and they’ll find out.

“It’ll take a monumental mind shift in this sort of stuff, you clearly knew that you couldn’t drive on and from April 1 … and you got caught twice.”

Originally published as Baylee Amson-Cook pleaded guilty to driving while suspended and with drugs in his system