Joseph Edward McDeed pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, and to having no authority to drive, when he appeared at Rockingham Magistrates Court on September 5.
The court heard police saw a truck swerving all over the road on the Esplanade in Rockingham at 12.57am on July 16, then hit a kerb before McDeed got out, could not stand and fell over. He gave a reading of 0.197.
A duty lawyer said McDeed (37) could not remember why he was driving. He had a previous record for drink driving and this incident had scared him into not drinking anymore.
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“He hasn’t touched alcohol for some six weeks now and is incredibly ashamed of what he did,” the lawyer said on McDeed’s behalf.
“He is glad he got caught by police before anything serious happened.”
The lawyer asked Magistrate Leanne Atkins not to send McDeed to prison.
She said she was considering imprisonment for McDeed. The truck offence had been just eight days after his conviction for drink driving.
“It is of great concern you were driving with a reading of .197 just after being convicted for DD earlier,” she said.
She sentenced McDeed to an Intensive Supervision Order with urine analysis and 120 hours of community service for 12 months.
Further, he was disqualified for driving for 30 months, also another 12 months disqualification for having no authority to drive, the disqualifications to run cumulatively.
“Driving a truck, you could have caused significant damage to someone and yourself. You also cannot remember how you came to be driving,” the magistrate told McDeed.
“You need to address whatever is going on because at this rate you may not reach 38.”