Loddon Shire councillor Gavan Holt pleads guilty to drink driving charges

Gavan Holt, 71, appeared virtually in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Thursday where he pleaded guilty to two charges.

The court heard he was intercepted driving on the Logan-Wedderburn Road in Wedderburn on November 16 last year.

Related: Holt convicted and fined for high-speed crash

A preliminary breath test showed the presence of alcohol so he was brought to the Inglewood Police Station for a second test.

Holt complied and provided a blood alcohol reading of 0.044.

Due to a previous drink driving conviction in 2018, there was a condition on Holt's licence that he needed to have a blood alcohol reading of 0.00.

Holt was also convicted and fined in 2016 for a fleeing the scene of a high-speed crash.

The court heard Holt was cooperative with police last year and told officers there was "no reason, no excuse" for his offending.

His licence was immediately suspended.

Defence lawyer Luke Simpson told the court that on the night of the drink driving offence, Holt had attended a local business in his role as a councillor.

Mr Simpson said there were a couple of Melburnians at the pub who bought Holt two glasses of beer.

Read more court: Firearms, vehicles allegedly stolen from central Victorian properties, court told

The lawyer said Holt then decided to drive home, despite knowing he needed to have a blood alcohol reading of 0.00.

Mr Simpson said Holt had been a councillor for 18 years and had "dedicated" his life to the public service.

The lawyer submitted that a monetary penalty and the minimum licence disqualification period was an appropriate sentence.

Magistrate Hayley Bate said Holt had not heard the message that his licence was a privilege that could be taken away easily.

Ms Bate noted the councillor was "racking up a serious history" and that he should be aware of the potentially "devastating" consequences of driving while under the influence of alcohol.

The magistrate convicted Holt and handed him a 12-month good behaviour bond. As part of the bond, Holt was ordered to pay $1000 to a road trauma support service.

Holt's licence was also cancelled and he was disqualified from driving for 12 months. That disqualification period started on November 16 last year.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: