Benjamin James Cassar’s decision to drive friend home proves very costly

The 29-year-old said he was driving a man in his care home after an anxiety attack but the court had little sympathy for him.

A 29-year-old man caught driving with cannabis in his system and driving while disqualified by the court has been ordered off the road for almost three years.

Police patrolling Wilsonton about 7pm, February 3, heard their automated number plate recognition system activate when following a car on Traminer Street, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.

The officers followed the car into Wine Drive where it was pulled over, police prosecutor Al Windsor told the court.

The driver, Benjamin James Cassar, told police he had no licence and subsequent police computer checks showed he had been disqualified from driving by the court from January 18 to April 17, Sergeant Windsor said.

A roadside drug test proved positive and a follow-up saliva test showed Cassar at the time of driving had cannabis in his system, he said.

The self represented Cassar pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified by a court and drug driving.

He told the court he only drove that night because the man under his care had an anxiety attack and he wanted to get him home.

He had since been undergoing drug and alcohol counselling, he said.

Magistrate Gary Finger noted this was Cassar’s third time before the court for drug driving and fined him a total $2300 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years on the disqualified driving charge and a further 10 months for drug driving.