A MAN who claims he drank up to 90 beers before being caught over the limit while driving the next morning has been suspended from driving for six months.
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Trevor Alexander Warren, 51, of Dundee Beach in the Northern Territory, appeared unrepresented in Bathurst Local Court this week.
He was there to answer a mid-range PCA charge.
Warren was pulled over by police at 6.14am on Monday at a random breath testing station on Boundary Road.
Police were conducting the roadside breath testing as part of Operation Westvale, which was held over the race weekend.
At the time of Warren’s arrest they were operating along Boundary Road, near the intersection of the Mid Western Highway.
Police facts tendered to the court told how when police pulled over Warren’s Holden utility, they noticed the smell of alcohol coming from the car.
They asked Warren if he had been drinking and he told police he’d finished drinking at 6pm the night before.
Police subjected him to a random breath test which produced a positive result.
He was arrested and taken to Bathurst police station for a breath analysis, which recorded 0.108, placing him in the mid-range.
In relation to his drinking, Warren told police he’d consumed “between 80 and 90 full strength cans of Melbourne Bitter beer and hadn’t eaten while consuming the alcohol yesterday”.
Warren’s matter was dealt with by magistrate Michael Allen, who convicted him and suspended his licence for six months. Warren was also fined $450.
Chifley highway patrol Sergeant Peter Foran yesterday said drivers being charged with drink- driving due to the residual effects of alcohol were not unusual.
“Especially at this time of year coming into the festive season,” Sgt Foran said.
“If people have a big night on the drink they really have to consider the following morning.
“If there is any risk at all you might be over, don’t drive, because we’re out here.”
Sgt Foran said police regularly conduct random breath tests early in the morning and, on average, arrest at least one driver.
“We’re out doing it for a reason,” he said.
“People don’t stop and consider the next day, but if you’ve had a big night, you really need to.”