April 3, 2014
A woman whose car ran off the road at Memerambi on March 1 was fined $600 in Kingaroy Magistrates Court this morning after she pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention.
Rebkah Joanne Sander also pleaded guilty to using a mobile phone while driving.
Police Prosecutor Sgt Pepe Gangemi said Sander had admitted she was using her phone when the crash occurred.
When she realised her vehicle was drifting, she attempted to control the car but over-corrected. The vehicle crossed onto the wrong side of the road, spun 180 degrees and ended up on an embankment several metres off the highway.
Magistrate Mark Bucknall said the consequences of the incident could have been a lot worse, causing death or injury to herself and others.
However he reduced the penalty imposed because Sander has subsequently complete a safe driving awareness program.
Defence counsel for Jonsson requested copies of three witness statements from police before case conferencing with the prosecution.
Case conferencing usually occurs when a defendant intends to plead not guilty or disputes the police evidence.
Magistrate Bucknall adjourned the matter to April 24.
Travis William Donald Crowther, who appeared via videolink from Maryborough Correctional Centre, also pleaded guilty to committing a public nuisance and several unrelated traffic offences.
Police Prosecutor Sgt Gangemi said Crowther and his partner had a dispute about 12:15pm on March 17.
The woman fled from the house out onto the street with Crowther in pursuit. He then returned to the house and came out with a machete yelling “I’m going to chop you into pieces”.
He dropped the machete on the ground, and then picked it back up and ran at the woman before slapping her in the face. He then began to throw rocks at her.
A member of the public became alarmed and called Triple 0.
Solicitor Mark Werner, for Crowther, said his client had consumed alcohol and amphetamines and at his first court appearance had very little memory of the events.
Magistrate Bucknall told Crowther his behaviour had been appalling.
“Because you choose to intoxicate yourself on alcohol or amphetamines is no excuse for your behaviour which would have been very distressing for your partner and for other members of the public,” he said.
He sentenced Crowther to four months jail, ordered the 17 days he had been held in custody be counted as time served, and set the parole release date as today.
He convicted Crowther on the public nuisance offence but imposed no further penalty.
Crowther was fined $700 on the traffic charges.
Lyons, who has been charged over an incident in which her husband was struck with a hammer in June last year, had previously been committed to appear in the District Court; this was amended to the Brisbane Supreme Court.
Sutton has been charged over the death of Kingaroy resident Shaun Miles in May last year.
Solicitor Mark Werner, acting on behalf of a Sydney law firm, said he believed the matter would proceed to the next stage by way of a registry committal.
Sutton, who is on bail, was excused from attending.
