Drunk man feared dead lives on to face drug possession charge

A NORTH Queensland man discovered sprawled across a footpath was so intoxicated that a member of the public feared he was dead, a court has been told.

The good news was that paramedics were able to find a pulse.

The bad news was that Ingham police discovered cannabis in his pocket.

Appearing in the Ingham Magistrates Court on Thursday, waste-solutions worker Harley Burns, 27, pleaded guilty to the sole charge of possession of a dangerous drug in relation to the incident in the early hours of Sunday, July 4.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Erin Collis said the member of the public who discovered Burns on the pavement “could not confirm if the person was breathing or not”.

“Police have attended and he was alive.”

She said that despite having a pulse and slowly becoming conscious, Burns refused to answer any questions.

About one gram of cannabis was found in his pocket, she said.

Defence lawyer Sarah Belford conceded her client was intoxicated after a day and night of drinking.

She said Burns’ refusal to answer questions spoke more about his intoxication rather than belligerence.

“He doesn’t remember the incident at all, didn’t know that police were asking him questions,” she said.

Ms Belford said the cannabis was for her client’s own use and he had no history of drug offending.

Acting Magistrate Rowan Silva told the defendant that he must be extremely embarrassed about his behaviour.

“It’s quite an extreme level of intoxication to be found in such a state; so bad that the ambulance service was called,” he said.

“I’ll bet you’ve vowed to never drink so heavily again.”

Burns was fined $250. No conviction was recorded.