Jack Daniels makes for a very poor ‘passenger’ for this driver

A TOOWOOMBA man who crashed his car into a fence after drinking Jack Daniels whiskey all afternoon had ultimately blown a brath/alcohol reading almost five times the legal limit.

Police called to a single motor vehicle accident about 4.30pm, August 20, had found Deng Bol Deng Biar in the driver’s seat of a white Mazda sedan which had crashed into a brick fence adjacent to a residential driveway on David St, Rockville.

The 36-year-old still had his seat belt on but his speech was slurred and he smelt of liquor, police prosecutor Rowan Brewster-Webb told Toowoomba Magistrates Court.

He admitted to having driven the car there, saying he had gone to speak with his wife.

After he initially refused to provide a sample of breath for testing at the roadside, Biar was warned it was offence not to comply with police directions but he had then gone into a tirade about his wife allegedly cheating on him, Mr Brewster-Webb said.

After he again refused to provide a sample of breath, and was agained warned, Biar was arrested and taken to the police station where he eventually provided a breath sample which returned a breath/alcohol reading of 0.226, Mr Brewster-Webb said.

Biar had a previous highrange drink-driving offence in his history and he was in fact on nine months probation and a 60 hour community service order imposed by the same court in March, he said.

The self-represented Biar pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor, and failing to provide a specimen of breath for testing.

He provided a letter from his employer which said his job would be in jeopardy if he didn’t have a driver’s licence.

“If you choose to drive, as you did, intoxicated, you’re going to lose your licence,” Magistrate Tracy Mossop told him.

Ms Mossop convicted and fined Biar a total $1100 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for 12 months.

peter.hardwick@thechronicle.com.au