Noise in boot leads cops to Santosha Le Roux’s hidden passenger on drive home from night out in Noosa

Noises from a 19-year-old P-plater’s car led to police finding a man hidden in her boot after another was seen falling from an open door, a Coast court heard.

Santosha Le Roux was found driving over the zero-alcohol limit with two extra people unrestrained in her car at 2am on August 22. Picture: Social media.

A 19-year-old P-plater thought piling her friends in her car including in the boot was the “safest” option to get them all home from a night out on limited funds, a Coast court heard.

Santosha Le Roux was found driving over the zero-alcohol limit with two extra people unrestrained in her car at 2am on August 22 in Noosa.

Police prosecutor Alison Johnstone said police had pulled Le Roux over for a random breath test when they discovered two passengers unrestrained.

Sergeant Johnstone said police saw one man fall out of the rear passenger door after the car had pulled over.

“Police approached it and saw the male had been laying unrestrained across three other persons in the rear seat,” she said.

“Police heard a noise and located another male person unrestrained hiding in the rear hatch section of the vehicle.”

She said Le Roux blew a blood alcohol reading of 0.052 and was not displaying her P-plates at the time.

The court heard Le Roux told police she had stopped drinking a couple hours before driving her friend’s home.

“Her and her friends had limited funds, so she was helping them out driving them home, she felt it was the safest option on that day,” Sergeant Johnstone said.

Le Roux pleaded guilty to driving over the general alcohol limit as a holder of a provisional licence, exceeding the loading limit of a car, not displaying green P-plates and two counts of not ensuring passengers were wearing seatbelts.

The self-represented Coolum resident apologised for her actions and said she had no previous history of drink driving.

“My actions were not well thought through and I’m sorry,” she said.

Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist fined Le Roux $550 for the offences and disqualified her from driving for three months.

Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Noise in boot leads cops to Santosha Le Roux’s hidden passenger on drive home from night out in Noosa