Richard Anthony Cullinan: Seven-month suspended imprisonment order for serious crash

A Walpole man has been given a seven-month suspended imprisonment order for a drink-driving incident that left his friend seriously injured last year. Richard Anthony Cullinan, 45, appeared in Albany Magistrates Court on February 13 on one charge of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm under the influence of alcohol. Police prosecutor Sgt Warrick Walker told the court how on May 7 Cullinan was driving a Jeep Wrangler along Hunter Road in Walpole when he came across a right-hand bend on a winding road. The car drifted to the left side of the road, and when attempting to correct his course, it slid across the road. The front passenger door connected with a tree, forcing the airbags to deploy. Bouncing off the tree, the car ended up around six metres away near the middle of the road. The victim, a 53-year-old male who was sitting in the passenger seat of the Jeep suffered multiple contusions and a fractured hip, which he is still recovering from, and was airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital as a result of the incident. Cullinan was apprehended at the scene and ordered to undergo a roadside breath test, returning a reading of 0.207, and was served a roadside disqualification. He previously pleaded guilty in December to driving under the influence and was given a $2000 fine and 10-month disqualification. Cullinan, who represented himself, asked the court to suspend any imprisonment imposed. He said that he had been undergoing counselling with Palmerston in Denmark which he found to be “quite tricky” because of the licence disqualification. He admitted he has a drinking problem which has been worsening. Following the incident, Cullinan said he drank three cans of alcohol because he was stressed and panicking, his friend was hurt, and he had hit his head. Magistrate Erin O’Donnell said that the two offences, including the one in December, should have been dealt with at the same time. She labelled the offending as a “really serious incident”. Cullinan was sentenced to seven months imprisonment, suspended for six months, and was disqualified from driving for two years. His licence disqualification was backdated to begin on December 12 to line up with the sentence for driving under the influence.