A man who drove two friends home after drinking at his house with them has been fined $5000 for failing to comply with Victoria’s chief health officer’s directions to only leave home for essential reasons.
Wayne Lowrie, 48, of Numurkah, pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to refusing to comply with a direction of Victoria’s chief health officer, failing to stop for police, unlicensed driving, careless driving and refusing to undergo a breath test.
Prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Sean Walsh told the court police activated their lights when they saw Lowrie oversteer his Hyundai Getz and drive in front of a police van and on to the nature strip and back onto the road in O’Connor St, Numurkah, on July 24 last year.
Police followed the car until Lowrie stopped at a McCarthy Ave house, got out and walked inside.
Leading Sen Constable Walsh said Lowrie’s two passengers confirmed he had been drinking, but he refused to have a breath test.
He was also driving on a disqualified licence and his vehicle was impounded.
Leading Sen Constable Walsh said Victoria’s chief health officer had also issued a direction to stay at home except for five essential reasons four days earlier and Lowrie was out of his house for a non-essential reason.
Representing himself in court, Lowrie admitted he did the wrong thing.
“I knew I was in trouble and I panicked. I felt like I had just gotten out of jail and I didn’t want to go back,” he said.
He told the court he had been in jail for more than 12 months and had just had his ankle bracelet removed, when “two girls turned up to my house for a drink”.
Lowrie said it was raining when the two women were going home so he “stupidly drove them”.
He told the court these days he was looking after his mother as a carer three days a week and that he didn’t “go out at all”.
Leading Sen Constable Walsh said when you looked at Lowrie’s prior convictions it appeared Lowrie had a problem with alcohol, however Lowrie told the court he had “addressed those issues while he was in jail” and felt he was doing well now.
Lowrie was fined $5000 for failing to comply with Victoria’s chief health officer’s directions.
He was also fined $2000 on the driving charges and was disqualified from driving for four years.