A man has lost his license for seven months after he was arrested for mowing his lawn drunk, while his son was also charged in the same incident.
A man has effectively lost his driving license for seven months after he was arrested for mowing his lawn drunk.
Peter John Bressler, a solo parent since the passing of his wife two decades ago, has been a fixture at the Ingham Magistrates Court over the past four months as his strange case worked its way through the COVID-19-clogged justice system.
The Toobanna man finally pleaded guilty yesterday to the charge of driving his ride-on lawn mower over the middle-alcohol limit on the Bruce Highway on June 29.
The charge relates to an incident in which Bressler ended up in a ditch that bordered the highway.
Adding salt into the wound, Mr Bressler’s son Brook was also charged with drink driving in relation to the incident after he allegedly drove a second vehicle to tow the mower out of the ditch.
Police will claim that Brook Bressler compounded his misery by allegedly throwing a wild punch at a police officer and was threatened with pepper spray, earning himself a charge of obstructing police.That case has been adjourned to November 12.
Outlining the facts of the father’s case, police prosecutor Len Brown said Bressler had told police he had been drinking beer since 10am that day, a Monday.
He said Bressler blew 0.125, two-and-a-half times over the legal limit, and had been banned from driving since the incident.
Defence lawyer Nick Douglas said the lawn mower had a top speed of 5km/h.
He said his client, a painter and cook who was on a disability-support pension for health-related issues, had never contested the charge but had merely sought additional technical information about the nature of the crime.
“It is a rather peculiar matter, he understands, particularly with his history, that this is something that needs to change … he has changed somewhat,” Mr Douglas said.
Magistrate Scott Luxton said it was “glaringly obvious” that the charge only merited the mandatory minimum three-month disqualification period and it was unfortunate that Bressler would now lose his license for seven months.
Mr Luxton, in convicting Bressler, reduced the fine to $200.
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