AN ALLANSFORD man caught drink-driving after he went the wrong way around Warrnambool’s Henna Street-Kerr Street “peanut” roundabout has been fined more than $3000.
Mark Steven Downes, 28, of Ziegler Parade, told police it was a ridiculous roundabout which he couldn’t adapt to before recording an alcohol reading of .128.
He pleaded guilty to drink-driving and failing to comply with the regulations of a roundabout.
Police said that at 10.25pm on June 8 Downes turned right onto Henna Street as he left the Norfolk Plaza car park, driving the wrong way through the roundabout.
He told police he had consumed six beers and one stubbie of Wild Turkey bourbon.
Defence counsel Matt Senia said his client’s behaviour had been influenced by “alcohol and stupidity”. He said Downes went to a supermarket to get food and had been returning to a friend’s house when he was intercepted by police.
He claimed his client thought he was all right to drive, but magistrate Jonathan Klestadt said that he could not accept Downes actually believed he was under .05.
Mr Klestadt said that was not credible when a driver recorded a reading of .128 and while the reading was not “stratospheric”, Downes would clearly have been impaired.
The magistrate said whatever Downes thought about the roundabout it had been there a long time. Earlier, the police prosecutor mentioned that truck drivers delivering to the Safeway supermarket went the wrong way around the roundabout “just about every day”.
Downes was convicted and fined $3050 with $44 costs and his licence was cancelled for 24 months.
