Full list of Toowoomba drink, drug drivers in court this week named

Here’s a full list of locals who lost their licence this week, after fronting Toowoomba court and pleading guilty to drink or drug driving.

Named: Toowoomba drink or drug drivers who fronted court in July, 2023. Photo Brenda Strong/The Observer

Multiple Toowoomba drivers were found guilty of drink or drug driving and had their licence taken off them at the Toowoomba Magistrates Court this week.

By naming the offenders, The Toowoomba Chronicle and Queensland Police Service are joining forces to tackle the scourge of drink and drug driving across the vast region to improve the safety of all road users.

While many others fronted court on pending drink and drug driving charges, here’s a list of those who were sentenced:

Convciction recorded

METH DRIVERS

Shania Maree Burns

Shania Maree Burns pleaded guilty to driving on meth at Toowoomba court, and had a number of drug-related charges adjourned until August 2.

A young mum fronted Toowoomba Court on July 12 and pleaded guilty to driving with methamphetamine in her system.

Police prosecutor Anita Page said police pulled Shania Maree Burns over along Condamine St on May 22.

A certificate of analysis revealed the 23-year-old had methylamphetamine in her saliva.

She was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for three months.

Andrew Bates

On Wednesday, July 12, Andrew Bates fronted Toowoomba Magistrate Court and pleaded guilty to driving with methamphetamine in his system.

Ms Page said police pulled the 47-year-old over on Geddes St on May 26.

The court was told after a roadside test came back positive, later analysis at the police station revealed he had meth in his saliva.

While representing himself, Bates told the court he only just started using the drug.

He was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for three months.

Michael Geoffrey Mitchell

Michael Mitchell was almost jailed when he fronted court and pleaded guilty to driving on a suspended licence with methamphetamine in his system.

On Wednesday, July 12, the court was told that over the past four years the 43-year-old was caught drug driving four times.

He was also caught driving on a suspended license on five different occasions within the same time frame.

Mitchell said he accidentally ingested the meth at a party when he drank Coca-Cola spiked with the drug.

Magistrate Kay Philipson doubted Mitchell’s claim, and told him that she would have sentenced him to time behind bars, if it weren’t for a major surgery he was set to undergo later that week.

Mitchell was sentenced to a six month jail term with immediate parole and disqualified from driving for three years.

Daniel John Reardon

Merely driving home after visiting family was enough to leave a 42-year-old Toowoomba man with a jail term hanging over his head and without his driver’s licence for more than two years.

Daniel John Reardon was pulled over by a police patrol on Monash Lane, Newtown, about 10pm, New Year’s Eve 2022, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told.

While he produced his driver’s licence, police checks found it had been disqualified from July 6, 2022, to April 5, 2026, police prosecutor Bettina Trenear told the court.

After a roadside drug test proved positive, Reardon was required to provide a saliva test which turned up positive for methamphetamine, she said.

Reardon pleaded guilty to drug driving and driving while disqualified by court order as well as to breaching two probation orders to which he was subject at the time.

Magistrate Clare Kelly sentenced Reardon to four months in jail but ordered the whole term be suspended forthwith for 12 months and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for 30 months.

DRINK DRIVERS

Named: Toowoomba drink or drug drivers who fronted court in July, 2023.

CANNABIS DRUG DRIVERS

High-visibility police operation and RBT on Toowoomba Connection Rd at Withcott, part of Easter road safety campaign, Thursday, April 6, 2023. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Jacinda Ibrahim

At the Toowoomba Magistrate Court on Tuesday, July 11, Jacinda Helen Ibrahim pleaded guilty to driving with cannabis in her system.

The court was told the 40-year-old woman, who has a prescription for medicinal cannabis, was before the court on three other occasions since 2019 for the same offence.

Ms Philipson told Ibrahim if she wanted to drive, she needed to reconsider her cannabis use and look into alternative treatment.

Ibrahim’s licence was disqualified for nine months and she was also placed on a nine month probation order as a deterrent to reoffending.

No conviction recorded

Billy Holland

Toowoomba business owner Billy J Holland successfully applied for a work licence after pleading guilty to driving with a blood alcohol reading of 0.114.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Natalie Bugden told the court Holland was pulled over in his HiLux at Newtown on a Wednesday night, May 24.

Magistrate Kay Philipson asked the 24-year-old if he had anything to say.

“No comment,” he said.

Ms Philipson told Holland to justify his application, which prompted him to explain why the court should approve the work licence.

The tiler told the court his licence had already been taken off him, which had taken a “heavy toll” on his income.

He said a number of employees relied on him and without his licence, his business would be forced to close.

Ms Philipson said given he was an “extremely responsible” person, it was perplexing that he chose to drive after drinking a large amount of alcohol.

She also noted he was lucky not to have recorded a slightly higher reading because he would have fallen into the high range category, and not been able to apply for a work licence.

Ms Philipson granted Holland a work licence and issued him a $500 fine.

More to come.