ID :
190385
Wed, 06/22/2011 - 13:09
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http://m.oananews.org//node/190385
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NSW judge pleads guilty to drink-driving
SYDNEY (AAP) - June 22 - Acting NSW Supreme Court judge Roderick Howie drank a bottle of wine and ate Thai chicken the night before he crashed into a truck and an oncoming car.
It was a Thursday morning last month when, only a few streets from his home in the northwest suburb of Beecroft, Howie made a left-hand turn which set off a calamitous chain of events.
He crashed his Subaru into a B-double truck and crossed over four lanes of heavy traffic onto the other side of the road, causing two more collisions.
Officers at the scene noticed Howie was unsteady on his feet, his face flushed and eyes watery.
He returned a reading of 0.168 in a roadside breath test, and then 0.121 in a breath analysis at Eastwood Police Station, court documents said.
The events culminated in Ryde Local Court on Wednesday, where his lawyer entered a plea of guilty on his behalf to a mid-range drink-driving charge.
Magistrate Daniel Reiss was told Howie was not at the hearing because he was holidaying in Japan.
His licence has been suspended and he will be sentenced at the same court on September 21.
Police facts say he told police he was an Acting Supreme Court judge and that he'd consumed a 750ml bottle of red wine at home between 7pm and 11pm on May 18, the facts said.
He also ate a Light n' Easy Thai chicken meal during that time.
The following day he left home for the NSW Central Coast but his journey ended moments later when he crashed into the rear of the truck.
He then mounted the kerb and travelled 15m along the footpath of Beecroft Road before crossing onto the wrong side of the street and smashed into an oncoming car, the facts said.
The driver was sent to hospital complaining of neck pain but was later released without serious injuries.
Both vehicles were severely damaged, and the impact forced the other car backward into someone else travelling behind.
Howie then rolled backward across the other side of the road into a driveway from where his vehicle was later towed.
Court documents show Howie had accumulated eight speeding fines since 1992, including six for exceeding the speed limit by not more than 15km/h and two for exceeding the limit by more than 15km/h and not more than 30km/h.
The Supreme Court media office said in a statement Justice Howie retired as a Supreme Court judge in May 2010.
He was appointed an Acting Judge four months later with his commission to run until June 2011.
Howie has told the court that he would not be available to sit during the remainder of his commission, and that he would not be seeking to renew it, the statement said.
In 2004 Howie was on a panel of five NSW appeals court judges that ruled magistrates were too lenient when sentencing in high-range drink-driving cases.
It was a Thursday morning last month when, only a few streets from his home in the northwest suburb of Beecroft, Howie made a left-hand turn which set off a calamitous chain of events.
He crashed his Subaru into a B-double truck and crossed over four lanes of heavy traffic onto the other side of the road, causing two more collisions.
Officers at the scene noticed Howie was unsteady on his feet, his face flushed and eyes watery.
He returned a reading of 0.168 in a roadside breath test, and then 0.121 in a breath analysis at Eastwood Police Station, court documents said.
The events culminated in Ryde Local Court on Wednesday, where his lawyer entered a plea of guilty on his behalf to a mid-range drink-driving charge.
Magistrate Daniel Reiss was told Howie was not at the hearing because he was holidaying in Japan.
His licence has been suspended and he will be sentenced at the same court on September 21.
Police facts say he told police he was an Acting Supreme Court judge and that he'd consumed a 750ml bottle of red wine at home between 7pm and 11pm on May 18, the facts said.
He also ate a Light n' Easy Thai chicken meal during that time.
The following day he left home for the NSW Central Coast but his journey ended moments later when he crashed into the rear of the truck.
He then mounted the kerb and travelled 15m along the footpath of Beecroft Road before crossing onto the wrong side of the street and smashed into an oncoming car, the facts said.
The driver was sent to hospital complaining of neck pain but was later released without serious injuries.
Both vehicles were severely damaged, and the impact forced the other car backward into someone else travelling behind.
Howie then rolled backward across the other side of the road into a driveway from where his vehicle was later towed.
Court documents show Howie had accumulated eight speeding fines since 1992, including six for exceeding the speed limit by not more than 15km/h and two for exceeding the limit by more than 15km/h and not more than 30km/h.
The Supreme Court media office said in a statement Justice Howie retired as a Supreme Court judge in May 2010.
He was appointed an Acting Judge four months later with his commission to run until June 2011.
Howie has told the court that he would not be available to sit during the remainder of his commission, and that he would not be seeking to renew it, the statement said.
In 2004 Howie was on a panel of five NSW appeals court judges that ruled magistrates were too lenient when sentencing in high-range drink-driving cases.
