Man sentenced for drink-driving 18 years after being caught

It took almost 20 years for the case to be heard in court.

AN ALMOST twenty-year-old drink driving charge has come back to haunt a Bowen man, pleading guilty two decades later.

Cedric Martin Power, 40, of Bowen, pleaded guilty in Bowen Magistrates Court on February 4 to driving under the influence of alcohol.

Prosecutor Sergeant Emma Myors said Power recorded a blood-alcohol content of 0.16 when he was breath tested by police on November 8, 2002.

"Police were alerted to a car which had a minor incident with a flower bed on Powell Street," Sgt Myors said.

"The vehicle was found at a rest stop outside of Bowen with the engine still hot and a male and female inside.

"There was a strong scent of liquor on the man's breath, who was the driver, and police observed the car had a slight altercation with some curbing."

Magistrate Ron Muirhead asked Power how the charge had taken so long to become before the court.

Power said he had left for Orange, NSW, the day after the incident and hadn't heard anymore about the charge until recently.

He said he had held jobs which required police checks in NSW, as well as explosives licences for working in mine sites, and no charges had ever come up.

Currently in training to become a minister, Power said if he had known the charge still remained he 'would have dealt with it'.

Mr Muirhead said he would sentence Power as if the incident came before the court in 2002, as punishments had risen in the time since.

Power was fined $900 with conviction recorded and disqualified from holding a licence for 8 months.

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