Dad’s boozy M1 dash with baby in back

A GOLD Coast dad has blamed a dangerous alcohol-fuelled dash down the highway with his baby in the back seat on a “lapse in judgment”.

Police first spotted John Jarred Taylor flying along the Pacific Motorway at close to 140km/h about 10.30pm on July 15 last year.

Southport Magistrates Court was told the 31-year-old swerved through five lanes of traffic, often forcing other drivers to slam on their brakes to avoid crashing.

Taylor’s risky run didn’t end when he exited the highway at Helensvale.

Police prosecutor Nicole Conditsis said Taylor reportedly ran a red light and continued speeding at 80km/h through a residential 50km/h zone.

She said officers eventually tracked down a glassy-eyed Taylor at his home.

“When they spoke to (Taylor), they observed an infant child asleep in a baby seat in the rear of the vehicle, and in the front passenger seat a 16-yearold male,” Sgt Conditsis said.

“He stated he had consumed alcohol at a friend’s house before driving home and knew he would not pass a breath test.

“The 16-year-old thanked (police) for stopping the vehicle, as he was very scared in relation to the manner of driving.”

The court was told Taylor recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.11 at the scene.

He had no similar offending in his traffic history when he appeared in court on Monday.

Defence lawyer Cheonton Strickland said his client was a single father to his infant son and relied on his income as a self-employed subcontractor to support his family.

He said it was an “out-ofcharacter” episode for Taylor, who was dealing with the breakdown of an eight-year relationship and the stress of starting his own business at the time.

“It was a very poor lapse in judgment,” Mr Strickland said.

“It is a mistake he regrets and he’s remorseful about that, because it’s obviously going to have quite a significant impact on his employment and his overall wellbeing. He acknowledges the grave mistake he made, not only for himself but for other road users as well.”

Taylor pleaded guilty to one count each of dangerous operation of a vehicle and drink driving. He was fined $2000 and disqualified from driving for nine months.