A HAMILTON woman who claimed to have been driving when her boyfriend crashed so they could avoid paying an expensive insurance excess has been fined $1000.
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Adam Hammond, 22, and Laura Dufty, 28, of Kent Road, pleaded guilty in n the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to making a false report to police.
The charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice was withdrawn by the prosecution.
Dufty was not convicted and fined $1000.
Magistrate Cynthia Toose told Hammond for him to grow up and accept responsibility for his actions.
She said trying to avoid the insurance excess was an ill-conceived plan and always going to end in disaster.
Hammond, who previously used up to 3.5 points of ice a day, was already on a community corrections order at the time of the accident.
He was complying with the community work requirements but failing to attend necessary appointments, including drug counselling.
Hammond is now on two CCOs, the longest last 18 months and was warned to comply with all condition or face being sentenced to a jail term.
Police said that at 4.45pm on July 12 last year Hammond was diving a white Holden Commodore west on the Hamilton-Chatsworth Road.
He overtook another vehicle on his way home from work at about 140km/h, lost control in gravel on the side of the road and slammed into a power pole, causing $3408 damage.
The driver of the overtaken vehicle stopped, noticed Hammond was the sole occupant and took him home, where he saw Dufty.
Dufty later told police she was the driver, but the overtaken driver’s evidence conflicted with her claim.
Hammond had asked her to take responsibility for driving.
Dufty later admitted Hammond had been behind the wheel and she lodged a proper insurance claim.
Hammond told police the accident happened on a slight bend, the sun was shining in his eyes and he hit the gravel.
He was also ordered to pay $3408 compensation for the works to the power pole.
