One father’s day to forget He lost his job, his licence and his cool

FOR Toowoomba father of two Joshua Lee Spittles, September 18, 2018, will be remembered as one of the 28-yearold’s worst days.

In less than 24 hours Spittles had lost his job, his driver’s licence and his cool, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.

It was just before 1am when a drunken Spittles had driven into the McDonald’s Restaurant drive-through in Harristown to obtain food.

However, when he became agitated and started yelling and swearing at staff, the police were called, police prosecutor Julia Wheaton told the court.

Police arrived to find the 28year-old seated in his car, still verbally abusing staff and appearing to be intoxicated, Senior Constable Wheaton said.

Arrested on a public nuisance charge, Spittles was breath-tested at 0.178 at the police station and kept in the watch house for a time, the court heard.

Spittles pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor, committing a public nuisance and driving an unregistered vehicle arising from the McDonald’s incident.

He also pleaded guilty to pawning a camera he had leased for $250 in May which police only spoke with him about earlier this month.

His solicitor Phil Stainton (Legal Aid Queensland Toowoomba office) told the court his client had fallen into difficult financial times when he had pawned the camera.

In the lead-up to the incidents at McDonald’s Harristown, his client had been made redundant earlier in the day which had led to him drinking alcohol to excess.

His client’s family had been struggling financially and his wife had been suffering some illness, he said.

“All of my client’s offending comes from his financial struggles,” Mr Stainton said.

His client was moving his family to Sydney where he hoped to find work and live with his wife’s mother, he said.

Magistrate Viviana Keegan noted Spittles had no previous convictions.

On the fraud and public nuisance offences, Ms Keegan fined him $250 with no convictions recorded.

For driving while under the influence of liquor, Spittles was fined $700 and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for seven months.

He was also ordered to make $250 restitution for the pawned camera.