A North East man caught speeding and more than three times the legal drinking limit has received a hefty fine and driver disqualification. He appeared at the Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Monday pleading guilty to the driving charges. The court heard police were patrolling the Wangaratta-Whitfield Road on motorcycles on 15 April this year. They followed a vehicle driven by the accused and observed it overtaking in the right lane and coming close to causing a head-on collision with oncoming traffic. Police estimated the vehicle was going more than 150km/h when it sped away from them and clocked it at 112km/h further down the road. They intercepted the vehicle and the accused gave a positive preliminary breath test and a .182 reading on an evidentiary test. The man’s vehicle was impounded and his licence was immediately suspended. Representing himself at court, the man said he was having drinks with his brother who was visiting from Swan Hill and he was on his way home. “I had a lot of drinks that night,” he told the court. Magistrate Megan Casey fined the man $1500 and disqualified his driver’s licence for 18 months. “You’re lucky you didn’t come to catastrophe,” she said. “Your priors tell me you can be a responsible driver, but alcohol problems have popped up from time to time, make sure you’re on top of it when you’re able to get back behind the wheel.”
