One in four drunk or high
A GOLD Coast magistrate has blown up about the behaviour of motorists, saying one in four drivers pulled over by police was either on drugs or drunk.
“All the way from the Sunshine Coast to Byron Bay, it’s a disgraceful state of affairs,” Magistrate John Costanzo said.
A woman fronted the Southport Magistrates Court yesterday after being caught with cannabis and methamphetamine in her system. In another court, a man pleaded guilty to his eighth drink-driving offence. Both offenders walked from the courts.
A GOLD Coast magistrate has blown up about a “disgraceful state of affairs” on local roads in which he says police are finding a drug or drink-driver every four traffic stops.
Magistrate John Costanzo’s comments came as a woman with a history of drug and driving offences dating back to 1995 fronted the Southport Magistrates Court after she was caught driving with cannabis and methamphetamine in her system.
And in a separate case another court was told a man caught driving with a blood alcohol reading of 0.092 per cent was pleading guilty to his eighth drink driving offence.
Both offenders walked free, despite their serial offending.
Jade Stewart pleaded guilty to driving with a relevant drug in her system on August 18 when she was pulled over by police on the Nerang Connection Rd.
Magistrate Mr Costanzo said her traffic and drug history was a concern.
Mr Costanzo said she had a number of previous drinkdriving offences that included being caught drinking while riding a bicycle in 2013.
He said the ratio of police catching drink or drug drivers in traffic stops was “one in three” or “one in four” in the region.
“All the way from the Sunshine Coast to Byron Bay, it’s a disgraceful state of affairs,” Mr Costanzo said.
He fined her $900 and she was disqualified from driving for six months.
Minutes later and in another courtroom, Nathan Richard Nurthen, 44, escaped time behind bars after pleading guilty to his eighth drink-driving offence after he was caught driving with a blood alcohol reading of 0.092.
Senior Constable Daniel McShane said Nurthen was a recidivist offender who had previously been given prison time for drink-driving and had again “placed himself in serious jeopardy of imprisonment”.
Defence lawyer Nicole Jevtovic, of Brooke Winter Solicitors, said Nurthen had been receiving treatment for his alcoholism and had not been caught for drink-driving in about four years.
Ms Jevtovic submitted to Magistrate Pamela Dowse that the court should exercise discretion because a prison stay would not address Nurthen’s rehabilitation.
Ms Dowse said Nurthen had a “really bad” driving history with blood alcohol readings of 0.138 and 0.22 recorded in his two previous drink-driving offences.
“You must not have another drink, full stop,” she said.
Citizens Against Road Slaughter (CARS) secretary Bobbie Henry said the family of victims of fatal drink-driving crashes never get over the loss.
As of yesterday 195 people have died on Queensland roads this year.