Kenneth Saville, Anna Grub, Jed Sutherland’s drink/drug driving revealed
A trio of Tasmanians, one of them a furniture boss and ex-radio producer who downed pints of beer before getting behind the wheel, have been nabbed by police for drink or drug driving.
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Three northern Tasmanians, one of them an ex-radio producer who is currently the boss of a large furniture company, have been slugged by a magistrate after appearing in court on unrelated charges of drink or drug driving.
The trio appeared before Launceston Magistrate Simon Brown on Wednesday.
Newstead man Kenneth James Saville, 57, a former Southern Cross Austereo producer who is currently the director of a joinery company, was fined $400, ordered to pay costs and levies of $91.40 and disqualified for three months for exceeding the prescribed blood-alcohol limit.
The offence occurred about 4.30pm on August 7 at Salamanca Place.
Saville returned a reading of 0.056 per cent after consuming four pints, telling officers he “thought he was okay to drive” to his Lauderdale residence.
This was Saville’s first drink driving offence in 40 years behind the wheel, his defence lawyer submitted.
Saville would be applying for a restricted work licence after his current demerit point suspension expired, the court heard.
Mr Brown agreed it was a “genuine mistake” that was out of character.
Meanwhile, West Launceston woman Anna Elizabeth Grubb, 30, was fined $1200, ordered to pay costs and levies of $111.40, and disqualified for 12 months after pleading guilty to driving while disqualified and drug driving.
Both offences were detected on July 16 at Balfour St when the single mother of two was driving herself to Coles to pick up baby wipes.
Grubb had been disqualified from driving by a court order for six months on April 19, while oral fluid analysis returned a positive reading for methamphetamine and cannabis.
The court heard Grubb told police she had smoked cannabis the night prior and methamphetamine with friends five days previously.
The court heard Grubb had multiple convictions under the Road Safety Act: she drove while exceeding the prescribed blood-alcohol limit twice when she was 18 and drug drove twice in late-2021.
“She firmly instructs she has no more driving matters coming through,” defence lawyer Lucy Flanagan said, noting her client had sold her vehicle.
Finally, Trevallyn man Jed Robert Sutherland, 23, was fined $500, ordered to pay costs and levies of $91.40 and disqualified for four months after pleading guilty to exceeding the prescribed blood-alcohol limit.
His offence was detected about 11am at the intersection of Highland Lakes and Poatina roads on August 7.
Sutherland returned a BAC of 0.099 per cent, the court heard.
Defence lawyer Fran McCracken told the court her client was on a fishing trip with friends and family and had had a big night.
She said her client, a salmon hatchery supervisor at Cressy, stopped drinking and went to bed about 2am and had consumed breakfast before getting behind the wheel.
She told the court a friend who had drunk similarly to Sutherland was also breath analysed, returning a reading of zero.
“It was an error by you rather than a general flouting of the law,” Mr Brown said.
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Originally published as Kenneth Saville, Anna Grub, Jed Sutherland’s drink/drug driving revealed
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