Four Bowen men face court over drink and drug-driving offences
Bowen court: A meth addict who ‘can’t stop’, a man who lost count of how many beers he had before getting behind the wheel and more.
Police & Courts
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Your list of drink and drug-drivers who faced Bowen Magistrates Court for sentencing this week.
1. William John Mulvaney told police he had “f*cked up” when he crashed his Ford Falcon ute on Herbert Street, Bowen, while grossly intoxicated.
The court heard Mulvaney had a condition on his driving licence banning him from driving between the hours of 11pm and 5am.
It was midnight on July 10 when police found him after crashing into a pole, and he blew 0.151 in a breath test.
The 24 year old pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of liquor and breaching a condition of his licence.
He told the court he had been drinking heavy Great Northern beers before the crash, but “wouldn’t have a clue” how many he had consumed.
Mr Morton noted it was Mulvaney’s fourth like offence in three years.
The sentence was three months’ jail, suspended for 15 months, plus a $129 fine and 15-month licence disqualification. Convictions were recorded.
2. Derek Kevin Beauchamp was sent to jail for two months after pleading guilty to driving with methamphetamine and marijuana in his saliva on June 19.
Bowen Magistrates Court heard Beauchamp was on a suspended sentence for drug-related matters at the time of the offence.
Magistrate James Morton said Beauchamp’s criminal history “speaks largely of drug issues” and that personal and general deterrence “must loom large” in his sentence.
He activated Beauchamp’s suspended sentence in full and remanded him in custody, with a parole release date of August 24.
Beauchamp also received a $550 fine and five-month licence disqualification. A conviction was recorded.
3. James Robert Beath received a two-month suspended jail sentence and a four-month licence disqualification for driving with methamphetamine in his system on Gregory Street, Bowen on May 1.
Beath told the court he was on a “downward spiral” after a “really bad” break-up with his girlfriend when police pulled him over in his Toyota Corolla about 1.30am.
He had started “doing a lot of things [he had] been trying to stay away from” and “blowing” about $200 a fortnight on meth.
He said he hated using drugs and they had “destroyed” his health and his mind, but he could not stop his habit.
Mr Morton noted a letter from a health professional that showed Beath had sought help for mental health issues, but said Beath’s “continual offending” warranted imprisonment.
He sentenced him to two months’ jail, suspended for 12 months, plus a four-month licence disqualification. He also extended an existing suspended sentence by three months. A conviction was recorded.
4. Wanesy Malas received a $500 fine and three-month licence disqualification for driving in Bowen after drinking five to six cans of VB.
The court heard police pulled Malas over in his Mitsubishi on Powell Street at 12.50am on July 25 and he blew 0.083 in a breath test.
He told police he was driving to pick up a friend.
A conviction was recorded.
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Originally published as Four Bowen men face court over drink and drug-driving offences
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