Letter box destroyed

INVESTIGATING reports of a crash in a suburban Brisbane street, police found a Toowoomba man’s damaged car and destroyed mailbox that he reversed into while attempting to park his car.

Joshua Andrew Townsend, 21, faced Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Thursday where he pleaded guilty to high range drink driving.

About 1.26am on June 5, 2022, Brisbane police were called to Spring Hill following reports of a crash, the court was told.

When they arrived, the officers were flagged down by a witness who claimed people were performing burnouts in the street, police prosecutor Sergeant Tim Hutton said.

The witness told the officers that she went outside and saw a vehicle across the road mount a nature strip, in reverse, then drive over a mailbox, with the driver then parking on the street before getting out of the vehicle and entering a nearby house.

The court was told that police found a vehicle pointed out by a witness that had a damaged rear end, as well as bricks and debris near the vehicle and a mailbox completely destroyed.

Sergeant Hutton said officers went to the house and spoke to Townsend, who was the registered owner of the vehicle, who denied driving but said he had been drinking with friends.

After returning a positive breath test, the court was told Townsend was taken to Brisbane watch house for further tests and at 2.42am he returned an alcohol reading of 0.186.

Townsend’s solicitor Troy Krahenbring said his client had travelled to Brisbane to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and had been drinking at his residence with no intention to drive, however did get behind the wheel to move his car from the nature strip to park on the street.

Mr Krahenbring said his client made a “poor decision” and had accidentally reversed into the mailbox attempting to move his car, and there was no evidence to suggest Townsend had driven anywhere else during the night.

“Obviously he should have thought about parking in a better place when he arrived,” Mr Krahenbring said.

The court was told Townsend intended to repay all money owed for the damage, and was riding up to 8km a day to get to and from work.

Acting magistrate Roger Stark fined Townsend $900 and disqualified him from driving for seven months. No conviction was recorded.