A 38-year-old Batemans Bay man has been jailed for 12 months after recording a blood alcohol reading more than four times the legal limit.
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Bradley Mark Gannon, formerly of Bega, was on parole when he was arrested at 1.50am on August 20 after being caught driving 81kmh in a 50kmh speed zone through the town of Mogo.
After being seen drifting to the wrong side of the road, he was pulled over by police and found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.208.
In Bega Local Court on Tuesday, October 10, Gannon pleaded guilty to speeding and drink driving, and was sentenced by Magistrate Doug Dick to a non-parole period of eight months.
Gannon had only been paroled four weeks earlier, and according to court documents was driving to pick up a friend in Moruya after drinking eight stubbies over a 10-hour period. A condition of his parole was not to consume alcohol.
It was Gannon's fifth drink driving offence since 1999, three of which were high range offences (a prescribed concentration of alcohol over 0.15) and and the other two mid-range (PCA 0.08-0.149).
Court documents for Tuesday’s hearing show when Gannon was stopped by police, he immediately removed his car keys and handed them to police.
He reportedly told police at the time “I’m sorry. Yes I’m going to be over, you may as well just take me.”
He apologised and made admissions before being taken to Batemans Bay Police Station.
“Mr Gannon, the court doesn't like sending people to jail,” Magistrate Dick said during sentencing.
“You clearly cooperated with police, you handed them your car keys.”
However, Magistrate Dick was left with little choice but jail time due to his parole violation and previous record of drink driving offences.
In addition, Gannon was fined $400, disqualified from driving for six months, and enforced to use an interlock on his vehicle for two years.