Aidan Wayne Bateup, 31, of Loren Street, Eglinton, appeared before Magistrate Jan Stevenson on Monday facing charges of high range PCA, entering enclosed lands and destroying or damaging property.

His solicitor, Leigh Haywood, told the court Bateup had a significant problem with alcohol at the time of the offences, but had since entered the Magistrates Early Referral Into Treatment program and admitted himself to a private hospital in July.

She said her client’s wife had issued him with an ultimatum to “fix it or the marriage is over”.

She said her client took his wife’s advice and the couple celebrated the birth of a child last week, and added Bateup had “good prospects after a difficult 18 months”.

Fact sheets tendered to the court told how Bateup was driving along the Duramana Road on January 11 this year when he rolled his car while attempting a U-turn.

He was assisted by a passer-by, but walked from the scene.

Police found him 500 metres from his car and, when speaking to him, noticed he smelt of alcohol. 

He was arrested and taken to Bathurst Police Station, where he recorded a breath analysis of 0.190.

Ms Stevenson asked if Bateup was working, and Ms Haywood said he wasn’t but hoped to have work lined up soon.

In sentencing, Ms Stevenson fined Bateup $200 on the entering enclosed lands matter and placed him on a Section 9 Bond for nine months for the damaging or destroying property matter.

On the high range PCA matter, Ms Stevenson saw he had a prior high range conviction in 2005. Noting Bateup had lost his licence at the time of the offence in January this year, Ms Stevenson disqualified him from driving for a further six months from Monday.

She also placed him on a Section 9 Bond for nine months.

Ms Stevenson warned Bateup to sort himself out.

“If you don’t you’re not going to have a very good life – a life without your partner, because it sounds like she’s laid down the law,” she said.