Teen ordered off roads

DRIVING after being suspended for drink-driving has put a Toowoomba teenager off the road for the next two years.

Jayme Turl was seen by police patrolling Wilsonton about 11.15pm, May 21, driving on North St, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.

When police saw the 19year-old’s car mount the gutter before driving into the McDonald’s Restaurant carpark, officers approached him.

Testing positive to alcohol during a roadside breath test, Turl was taken to Toowoomba Police Station where he returned a breath/alcohol reading of 0.129 during a breath analysis test, police prosecutor Rohan Brewster-Webb said.

The teenager was charged with driving over the middle alcohol limit and as a result his driver’s licence was suspended until he had the matter dealt with by the court.

However, Turl had then become “belligerent” with police and called them a derogatory term before having to be physically restrained when moved to another area of the watch house, Mr Brewster-Webb told the court.

Then, on June 1 about 4.40pm, a police patrol had spotted Turl driving into a service station on James St.

He told police he was aware that his licence was suspended but complained he lived outside of Toowoomba but worked in town and so had to drive to get to work, Mr Brewster-Webb said.

Turl pleaded guilty to drink-driving, driving on a suspended licence and obstructing police.

The self-represented Turl told the court he was employed in stone masonry but offered no excuses for his offending.

Magistrate Kay Philipson noted Turl had only one unrelated matter on his criminal history and a limited traffic history.

“Your behaviour it would seem was unacceptable on this night,” she told him.

Ms Philipson fined Turl $750 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years but ordered the convictions not be recorded.