A MAN caught driving during a period of disqualification has been fined and put off the road for another two years.
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Jonathan Lawrence Peter Barker, 36, of Eleven Mile Drive, did not appear before magistrate Michael Allen to answer the charge of driving a motor vehicle during a period of disqualification, and the matter was subsequently dealt with in his absence.
Police facts said Barker was stopped by police in Suttor Street at 8.25pm on July 14 for a random breath test.
He was asked for his driver’s licence by police and told them “I don’t have one”.
A roadside breath test produced a negative result, but his oral fluid test produced a positive detection to methamphetamine and cannabis and he was arrested for a secondary oral fluid test. The second test also returned a positive result.
The remainder of the sample was sent for analysis.
"I had cannabis today, but I haven't had any meth," Barker told police.
Checks revealed Barker’s driver’s licence was disqualified at Bathurst Local Court on July 18, 2017 for the offence of driving with an illicit drug present in his fluid. He was disqualified for six months.
On the same date, the offender was declared an habitual offender and issued with a second disqualification period, this time for five years from January 18, 2017.
The court was also told that no further action had yet been taken on the positive oral fluid test. Police are waiting until results are received from the laboratory.
On the driving while disqualified charge, Barker was convicted, fined $1500 and disqualified for two years.