A Lake Albert man who has now tallied upwards of seven serious driving offences on his criminal record has been warned his next stop will be jail if he continues to drive.
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Lonnie Eddie Sing, returned to court for sentencing on Monday after he pleaded guilty to breaching two bonds for driving while disqualified and under the influence of drugs when he was caught behind the wheel on not one but two occasions.
The court heard Sing was first caught by police on June 7 when he decided to drive himself to report at the parole office while his licence was disqualified.
Then, a couple of months later, police recognised him as a known driving offender just seconds after he drove his friend’s car out of the driveway at an open house, apparently with the intention to bring it straight back in.
Magistrate Alexander Mijovich said Sing was “teetering” over the edge of a custodial sentence and repeatedly asked him “why do you want to go to jail”?
“I mean driving to your parole office – really?” Mr Mijovich said.
“A first offence for this carries two years’ jail – this makes it his third and fourth drive while disqualified, and I’ve got to take that into account. Then he’s got another three or four drive while unlicensed, so this makes it about the seventh or eighth licence offence.”
Mr Sing conceded his behaviour was “stupid”, while his solicitor Maria Wallis explained he had issues with “impulsivity”.
“He keeps coming back before the court, he has issues with impulsivity, and he’s told me in his own words that he needs to stop and think before he does,” Ms Wallis said.
“It was only a few metres that he moved on the second occasion … he was apprehended when he hit the road, but his intention was actually to drive back up the driveway and park in the allocated parking spot.”
Mr Mijovich said “impulse control issues” would only work as an excuse for so long.
“I’m told that police knew you as an offender – it’s like shooting ducks in duck season, it’s so easy for them – you may as well attach a big, white flag to the car saying ‘pick me up, I want to go to jail’, because that’s what you’re doing,” he said.
“If you drive without a licence again, there really isn’t any alternative to jail.”
Sing was disqualified from driving for another 12 months, sentenced to two two-year supervised community correction orders, and fined $1000 for his driving offences.
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