A LAVINGTON man sentenced to 150 hours community service for his third drink-driving offence has completed just 19 hours with his efforts being described as “poor”.
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Shannon John Turnbull was sentenced in September in Albury Local Court for high-range drink-driving and lost his licence for three years.
He has since been breached by the NSW Probation and Parole Service for failing to comply with the community service order.
When Turnbull failed to attend court yesterday, magistrate Megan Greenwood issued a warrant for him.
The court was previously told that after being stopped for exceeding the speed limit by Albury highway patrol, Turnbull admitted his error.
Turnbull told the officer: “Mate, I’m over. I’m a dickhead”.
A later breath analysis gave a blood alcohol reading of 0.167 and Turnbull, 25, of Wagga Road, was also charged with speeding.
The officer was patrolling Atkins Street, South Albury, about 2am on July 14 when his car’s radar showed a vehicle at 75km/h increasing to 79km/h.
He followed Turnbull into East Street and then on to the Hume Freeway.
Turnbull had a passenger in his car and said he had consumed at least 10 345-millilitre drinks of bourbon and coke, along with vodka.
Solicitor Mark Cronin said Turnbull had left his car and gone to a taxi rank with his friend.
It was a wet, miserable night and they waited for 30 minutes but no taxi arrived.
So Turnbull took a chance to drive home.
Ms Greenwood said Turnbull had a middle-range drink-driving matter in NSW and another in Victoria where no conviction was imposed.
“I need to send a message of deterrence to you and others,” Ms Greenwood said.
She said the NSW government spent millions of dollars a year advertising the dangers of drinking and driving.