A man said he was going through a rough patch in his life and was abusing alcohol when he was caught speeding without a licence in Sebastopol.
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The Ballarat Magistrates' Court heard Karl Perdrisat was caught driving erratically in Geelong, changing speeds and swerving over the road in March 2020.
The car he was driving had bald tyres and he blew an alcohol concentration reading of 0.143.
He was immediately suspended from driving.
In January 2021 police saw him speeding at 80km/h in a 60kmh zone on Hertford Street in Sebastopol and he was intercepted.
Checks showed he did not have a licence and he refused to accompany police for an evidentiary breath test.
The parliament has seen fit to impose substantial penalties. In some circumstances this could carry a risk of imprisonment.
- Magistrate Bruce Cottrill
Representing himself at the court via an online link on Monday, Perdrisat said what he did was stupid and he had a problem with alcohol at the time.
He said he had lost his job and lost custody of his daughter and was struggling, but he was in a better place now, back at work and back with his daughter.
Magistrate Bruce Cottrill said the traffic offences were serious in combination.
"The parliament has seen fit to impose substantial penalties. In some circumstances this could carry a risk of imprisonment," he said.
Mr Cottrill said Perdrisat did not have a relevant prior criminal history and openly admitted to his problems at the time.
Perdrisat was disqualified from driving for 24 months and was convicted and fined $1800.
"It is very important you don't drive during your period of cancellation because you will go to jail if you do," Ms Cottrill said.
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