An Avoca man who was caught driving 12 times with either a suspended or disqualified licence has been jailed.
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Phillip Brittain, 31, was jailed for four months after pleading guilty in the Ballarat Magistrates Court to 24 charges which included numerous offences of speeding, using an unregistered car and driving on a suspended or disqualified licence.
Magistrate Ronald Saines told Brittain his defiance of court disqualification orders and VicRoad suspensions was “beyond careless, it is intentional”.
“… you are just saying to the court ‘I don’t care what the court does, I’m going to do what I want’,” he said to Brittain.
“By imprisoning you I’m sending the strongest message.
“Keep doing more of the same thing, then the justice system will keep doing more of the same as I’ve imposed today.”
The court heard on one occasion in January, Brittain was driving with a suspended licence in a prime mover on the Geelong Ring Road where he failed to give way and hit a car travelling next to him.
In April last year Brittain was caught driving while disqualified 40km/h over the limit on the Sunraysia Highway. Eight days later he was again caught driving, this time into Ballarat to see his lawyer.
On another two occasions he was caught speeding on the same highway on a suspended licence.
Of the 12 occasions he was caught driving between October 2015 and August last year, five were during a period of disqualification imposed by the Magistrates’ Court and seven defied VicRoads suspension orders.
Brittain’s lawyer, Brett Bryant, told the court his client, who was employed in Melbourne, lived in a rural town where there was no public transport.
Mr Bryant said his client chose to live in Avoca because it was the only place he could afford to live, but it meant the only way to get to work was by car.
With no one else in his life able to drive him, Mr Bryant said his client made the decision to drive himself.
He said Brittain hoped to put his bad driving behind him once he was released from prison.
On the 11 charges not punishable by prison, which include the speeding and unregistered car offences, Brittain was fined $2200.
Orders were also made for Brittain to forfeit his car and to complete a safe driver program.
