Ross Peter Gibbons was feeling a bit hot so had a drink – in his ute – heading down the Hume Freeway.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He had packed six bales of hay in his trailer, having made a decent start on a six-pack of VB stubbies in the centre console.
By the time his adventure was over, two of the large bales were on the bitumen in Thurgoona Drive and just two “cold to touch” stubbies were in his ute.
Gibbons’ decision to down a few beers during the trip from his Wodonga home to Culcairn and back has resulted in a jail term.
Magistrate Tony Murray sentenced Gibbons, 58, in Albury Local Court on Thursday to three months behind bars, though this was suspended for three months.
Mr Murray said it was “clearly a recipe for disaster” that Gibbons decided to drink alcohol while on the road.
“If this behaviour is repeated then unfortunately expect a full-time jail term,” Mr Murray said.
The court was told that Gibbons, who owned a hobby farm, lost part of the load from his trailer as he drove through the Thurgoona Drive roundabout in Thurgoona about 8pm.
He had just left the Hume Highway. As Gibbons went through the roundabout the hay on the trailer moved, making the load unbalanced and causing the two bales to fall off.
Police arrived at the scene about 8.30pm.
Gibbons immediately admitted he had been drinking while driving and later gave a reading of 0.192, having knocked-off four stubbies of beer.
He had pleaded guilty to driving with a high-range prescribed concentration of alcohol and to driving with an unsecured load.
Gibbons was also convicted and fined $700 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
