Lengthy licence disqualification for man who blew more than five times legal limit after crashing into ditch

A man who blew more than five times the legal limit after crashing his car into a ditch earlier this year has been disqualified from driving for 2½ years. Stuart Duncan, 55, appeared in Albany Magistrates Court on May 30 and was sentenced on one charge of driving under the influence. The court heard on April 26, Duncan lost control of his vehicle on Frenchman Bay Road near the intersection of Whaling Station Road and ended up in a ditch at the side of the road. He sustained minor injuries and presented himself to Albany Health Campus for treatment. Duncan was breath-tested after the crash and returned a reading of 0.238. During sentencing the court heard Duncan was homeless at the time of the incident. “If you made one good decision that day it was to put your seatbelt on,” Magistrate Dianne Scaddan said. Ms Scaddan disqualified Duncan’s licence for 30 months and placed him on a two-month community-based order with a requirement of 20 hours of community service.