Sunshine Coast managing director makes ‘extraordinarily stupid’ mistake

A Sunshine Coast managing director working in Central Queensland did something “extraordinarily stupid”, was busted by police and he paid a heavy price.

Brendan Lee Wulf.

A Sunshine Coast managing director has paid a heavy price for an “extraordinarily stupid” mistake he made while working in Central Queensland.

Brendan Lee Wulf, 47, the boss of a commercial landscaping company and volunteer president of a surfing club, was just two days shy of serving a one month court-imposed driving disqualification when police busted him behind the wheel at Theodore on December 27 last year.

Wulf then made things worse for himself when he told police that he didn’t have his driver’s licence with him and he gave them a false name - his brother’s.

Wulf pleaded guilty in Biloela Magistrates Court on January 25 to driving while court disqualified and contravening a police requirement.

The court was told Wulf had a five-page traffic history.

Brendan Lee Wulf.

A solicitor said Wulf resided at the Sunshine Coast and was a managing director of a commercial landscaping company, as well as being a volunteer president of a long board (surfing) club.

“He has 34 employees that work directly under him (at the landscaping company),” the solicitor said.

“Employees including the construction management and other employees are driving him to and from work, and from site to site, so it’s well known across the 34 employees the reason why they’re all driving him - that’s because of his conviction for drink driving offences.”

The solicitor tendered two references to the court for Wulf.

Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale told Wulf what he did was “extraordinarily stupid” but she accepted he was a person of otherwise good character.

Ms Beckinsale fined Wulf $1000 and disqualified him from driving for two years.

“That (disqualification) is going to have a significant impact on you,” Ms Beckinsale said.

A traffic conviction was recorded but no criminal conviction was recorded in relation to the contravene requirement offence.

Originally published as Sunshine Coast managing director makes ‘extraordinarily stupid’ mistake