WHEN it comes to driving offences, Magistrate John Murphy has heard it all before.
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But even he was left dumbfounded at the actions of the men who found themselves in front of his court bench in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court this week.
From the outright dangerous (driving at five-times the limit), to the obscene (doing a burnout to celebrate Australia Day), Mr Murphy had a message for each of them.
“Drunk as a skunk”: Goornong man blew fives times the limit
A Goornong man who was five times the legal limit when his car hit a tree stump in Goornong was fined $1000 in court.
Alexander William McKinnon, 34, pleaded guilty in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Monday to one count of drink driving.
Police spotted McKinnon trying to exit his vehicle after colliding with a tree stump at 7.45pm on February 11.
He blew a reading of 0.251 – five times the legal limit – and had his licence immediately suspended.
The court heard McKinnon was drinking at a nearby friend’s house when he was called back home.
Magistrate John Murphy was scornful of McKinnon’s actions and said he could be facing at least seven years in jail if someone had been killed.
“0.251, drunk as a skunk,” Mr Murphy said.
“That reading indicates he’s a heavy drinker. You wouldn’t be functioning unless you’d had some practice.”
McKinnon was convicted and fined $1000. His licence was disqualified for two years.
“Didn’t hide good enough”: Man crashes, three times the limit
A Kilmore man was also fined $1000 in court after he hit a fence in Sedgwick while drink driving, before hiding in a nearby paddock.
Daniel Mellerick, 69, pleaded guilty to the charge in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
Police spotted Mellerick swerving on Wilkinsons Road, Sedgwick, just after 4pm on February 16 before he collided with a fence in a driveway.
He fled the vehicle and was found hiding in a paddock 400 metres away.
When arrested Mellerick told police he “didn’t hide good enough”, and admitted he was being a “****head”.
Mellerick was breath tested two hours after the crash and recorded a reading of 0.18 – close to four times the limit.
Magistrate Murphy said Mellerick will “have to reduce his drinking” if he wants to get his licence back.
Mellerick was convicted and fined $1000. His licence was disqualified for 18 months, the minimum period.
“I regret doing it”: Burnout to celebrate Australia Day
An Elmore man admitted to police he did a burnout on High Street in Golden Square “for Australia Day”.
Police were driving in the opposite direction when they spotted James Boyack, 19, doing a burnout on Bendigo’s main thoroughfare at 7.40pm on January 26.
His Holden Commodore lost traction for 10 seconds and he performed a 360 degree turn across two lanes of traffic.
Boyack attended the Bendigo police station the following week at the request of police, where he told officers his burnout was to celebrate Australia Day.
Boyack told Magistrate Murphy “I regret doing it, I’ve learnt my lesson now”.
Mr Murphy told him to take his chewing gum out of his mouth, before convicting and fining him $500, and ordering he attend a safe driving course.
“Learn from it,” Mr Murphy said.
Residents give chase: 18-year-old caught doing 100-metre burnout
A witness followed and took pictures of a Lockwood teenager after he performed multiple donuts and a 100-metre long burnout in Lockwood South last month.
Witnesses saw Mathew Quick, 18, performing donuts in his Holden ute at the intersection of Mulberry Lane and Bendigo-Maldon Road on March 27.
He then took off along the road towards the Calder Alternative, with the witnesses following behind. They took pictures of the car, which had a P-plate and black rims.
Later that day, police attended the residence attached to the vehicle and spoke with Quick’s mother.
He was found at a Golden Square address that night, but the car had new rims, new stickers on the back and new tyres.
Quick denied performing burnouts, but admitted to the charge in court.
Magistrate Murphy fined the man $750, and his licence was disqualified for six months. He must also complete a safe driver program
“I don’t know how we get the message across,” Mr Murphy said.
Magistrate Murphy: When will they learn?
He’s spent decades on the bench, but one thing has remained consistent for Magistrate John Murphy: People take risks on the roads, and people die on the roads.
On Thursday, Mr Murphy spoke at length about numerous examples of fatal crashes he had seen caused by the reckless behaviour of motorists, and said any of the above examples could have ended in catastrophe.
In one instance, a four-year-old boy was killed in Melbourne when a driver performed a burnout.
In another, two brothers were driving separate cars in Cranbourne and, after performing burnouts, they were involved in a fatal collision.
The examples stemmed from a driver awareness program – among the countless instances of lives lost on Victorian roads.