A Mount Beauty man has been fined and disqualified from driving after recording a high-range blood alcohol reading following a late night crash in Tawonga South last December.

The 40-year-old appeared at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Monday, where he pleaded guilty to one charge of driving within three hours of exceeding the prescribed blood alcohol limit.

The court heard that at 11.58pm on 13 December 2025, the accused was driving a Subaru with a passenger on Damms Road when he failed to negotiate a right hand bend and lost control of the car.

The vehicle left the road and crashed into a fence.

Police attended the crash scene shortly after, and the property owner identified the accused as the driver.

The accused was taken to the Mount Beauty Police Station, where a breath test at 1.55am saw him return a blood alcohol concentration of 0.156, more than three times the legal limit of 0.05.

He told police he began drinking at 11am the previous day, continued through to midnight, and could not say how many drinks he had consumed.

The court heard the accused had a previous careless driving matter in 2022 and other unrelated criminal matters still pending.

In addressing the court, the accused said he normally made efforts to stay under the limit.

“It’s not something I would usually do,” he said.

“I just went a bit hard after a work Christmas party.

“I know Christmas is a bad time for decision making for me and I will be more onto it in the future, I am sorry.”

Magistrate Lance Martin said he did not need to explain the nexus between alcohol, driving and the road toll.

“I accept that you have a good understanding,” he said, noting the accused’s 22 year driving history and the impact the penalty would have on his work.

The accused was convicted and fined $800, ordered to pay $95 in court costs, and handed a mandatory 15 month licence disqualification.