Rickys waiter Nicolas Thomas Alexis Moukhovsky crashes moped drunk

A French waiter from one of Noosa’s premier waterfront restaurants crashed his moped and then he faced the law. See why the visitor will have to ride a bicycle from now on.

Nicolas Thomas Alexis Moukhovsky at Noosa Magistrates Court on January, 13, 2023.

A French waiter from Rickys River Bar and Restaurant in Noosa has faced court for driving a motorised scooter while in “high spirits” with an alcohol reading three times over the limit.

Nicolas Thomas Alexis Moukhovsky, 26, pleaded guilty at Noosa Magistrates Court on Tuesday to the high-range drink-driving charge.

Police prosecutor Allison Johnstone said police responded to a complaint about noise coming from a party at an international visitor share house at Hill Street in Sunshine Beach at 1.28am on January 16, 2023.

Upon finalising the noise complaint, police heard the moped coming down Edward Street before hearing it crash outside number 162, Sergeant Johnstone told the court.

Police located the moped behind a van and Moukhovsky was “found behind the moped with a helmet on and the keys in his hand”.

“He had grazes and abrasions to his elbows and knees and ripped clothing indicating he had been in the crash,” Sergeant Johnstone said.

Moukhovsky produced a French driver’s licence confirming his identity and a positive road side breath test indicated a breath alcohol concentration of .165.

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Moukhovsky’s solicitor Mark Gregory said he has been in Australia for three years and was driving on an international driver’s licence after mistakenly believing he only needed an Australia driver’s licence after he became a permanent resident.

Mr Gregory said Moukhovsky had lived in Paris and worked at Rickys Restaurant in Noosa.

“I’m sure his accent assists with the ambience at the restaurant,” Mr Gregory said.

He told the court, Moukhovsky would now have to ride a bicycle to and from work and would have to work out how to get an interlock on a moped which he said “will take up a fair bit of the dash”.

Magistrate Matthew McLaughlin said it was “quite a high reading, at more than three times the limit” but he took into account the fact it was early in the morning “so there’s very little traffic around then”.

“I also take into account that it’s on a moped, so while it’s of great danger to you, you are not a great danger to other people,” he said.

“On a moped you’re really very unlikely to hurt anybody else other than yourself.”

Moukhovsky was fined $600.

He was disqualified from driving for six months.

A conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Rickys waiter Nicolas Thomas Alexis Moukhovsky crashes moped drunk