A drink driver who tried to flee from police with five people in the car has been fined and further disqualified from driving.
Steven John O’Donnell, 57, of Mooroopna, pleaded guilty at Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to dangerous driving while pursued by police, drink driving and unlicensed driving.
The court heard police saw O’Donnell driving along Archer St, Shepparton, above the speed limit on April 24, 2021, and turned on their lights and sirens to intercept the vehicle.
The prosecutor said O’Donnell sped up, turning on to Palmer Rd and into Vicki Crt where he drove into a driveway and tried to run from police.
He was arrested while trying to jump a fence of one of the houses in the court and returned a reading of 0.066 when breath-tested by police.
He was also unlicensed at the time, having not held a driver’s licence since 2014.
Lawyer Susie Crowe said O’Donnell was experiencing difficulties finding long-term accommodation and was living in a cabin in Mooroopna with his partner and their baby.
The court heard O’Donnell suffered a heart attack in July 2021 and was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.
Ms Crowe said O’Donnell hadn’t worked for seven years and he told her he hadn’t touched alcohol since the heart attack.
She said O’Donnell had been a passenger in the car but got behind the wheel after the original driver was pulled over by police.
Magistrate Anne Goldsbrough said without O’Donnell’s medical condition suffered three months after the offending, she would have handed down a community corrections order for what she called “outrageous behaviour”.
She took into account his early plea and circumstances, convicting and fining O’Donnell $1500 and disqualifying him from driving for 14 months.