Ryan Butt: West Tamar apprentice stung for ‘unusual’ drink drive
A young Tasmanian apprentice made a key mistake when sending his mate off at a popular pub, as police watched his every move.
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A young Tasmanian mechanical engineering apprentice was intercepted by police leaving a popular watering hole in his car nearly three times the legal blood-alcohol limit.
However, due to “unusual” features in the case, Deviot man Ryan Michael Butt, 21, copped only the minimum fine and disqualification in Launceston Magistrates Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to driving while exceeding the prescribed alcohol limit.
On July 16 about 8pm, Tasmania Police officers were camped outside the Legana Tavern when they witnessed Butt enter his Toyota HiLux and drive it into the Woolworths carpark.
A random breath test produced a positive result and Butt subsequently returned a blood-alcohol content reading of 0.141 per cent, nearly three times the legal limit.
Defence lawyer Grant Tucker told the court his client was unfortunate in one sense: he had organised his brother to give him a lift home and always intended to leave his car overnight.
Butt, though, felt it safer to leave his vehicle in the Woolworths carpark in a well-lit area, so his act of driving was simply relocating his car a few hundred metres from the tavern carpark at low speed.
Mr Tucker said Butt had always intended to leave his HiLux in the Woolworths carpark but forgot upon his arrival at the tavern.
His client had been celebrating a friend’s going away when the offence occurred, Mr Tucker said.
Magistrate Simon Brown agreed the case was “unusual”.
“It was a limited act of driving and the potential for mishap or danger was much, much, more limited,” Mr Brown said.
He handed Butt the minimum penalties, a fine of $800 and disqualification for six months, with the disqualification adjourned for 42 days to allow for an application for a restricted work licence.
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Originally published as Ryan Butt: West Tamar apprentice stung for ‘unusual’ drink drive
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