$40,000 road rap

Student’s mountain of fines

AN international student who tried to dodge a mountain of fines he incurred on Victorian roads had no luck when he faced a Geelong court yesterday.

Deakin University student Abdullah Bo Hamad had racked up $40,000 in fines in just 2½ years since arriving in Australia from Saudi Arabia on a scholarship to study engineering.

He had committed 109 offences, Geelong Magistrates’ Court heard.

About 60 of them were from toll roads, 40 were speeding penalties and others were for offences such as running traffic lights and using a phone while driving.

His lawyer asked magistrate Michael Coghlan to use his discretionary powers to wipe Bo Hamad’s fines.

He said Bo Hamad had faced cultural, medical and financial difficulties since he arrived in Australia unable to speak English in 2014.

When that application appeared unlikely, the lawyer asked Mr Coghlan to discount the fines.

Bo Hamad’s lawyer told the court that “Saudi Arabia doesn’t have toll roads” and “the culture in relation to speeding is apparently very different in Saudi Arabia”.

But Mr Coghlan said it was important to respect the laws of the land.

He said Bo Hamad had not proved his fines should be reduced.

“A fair amount of these are fines for breaching the road rules,” Mr Coghlan said. “He shouldn’t be driving. “He shouldn’t be on the road at all. Presumably he’s got about 60 demerit points.

“He’s driving a car, obviously at very, very fast rates, through red lights, speeding.”

He ordered Bo Hamad to start paying off the fines at $200 a month.