A MAGISTRATE has slammed the actions of a young Ballarat man who was caught driving unlicensed and then caught again later that day, drink-driving.
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“For a person who’s just turned 19 your track record is appalling,” magistrate Peter Mithen told Christopher Kermond, 19.
“You really need to look at how you’re going about things.”
The comments came on a day when Ballarat Magistrates Court heard numerous cases of young people driving while suspended.
The court heard Kermond, who pleaded guilty to a string of charges, including unlicensed driving and drink-driving, was pulled over by police near Bendigo on January 11 this year.
Reading a summary to the court, police prosecutor Senior Constable Pepe Brown said Kermond was the holder of a suspended probationary licence and that a breath-test recorded a blood alcohol level of .030.
The court heard Kermond had already been pulled over by police earlier that day.
Senior Constable Brown said that on another occasion in April this year Kermond was caught driving while suspended in Miners Rest.
The court heard Kermond posed a risk to residents in Baxter Street, Miners Rest, after turning off his lights and continuing to drive while being followed by an unmarked police car.
Kermond’s defence lawyer, Mike Wardell, said despite his client’s poor driving history he was, in fact, a responsible young man.
“For a young chap he’s doing very well,” Mr Wardell said.
“He shouldn’t have been driving, simple as that.”
Convicting Kermond and fining him $1200, Mr Mithen suspended his licence for 12 months.
