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Townsville Drink Driving Case Study: High Range on a Farm Buggy, 6-Month Minimum and No Conviction (QLD)

Name: Townsville Drink Driving Case Study: High Range on a Farm Buggy, 6-Month Minimum and No Conviction (QLD)
Uploaded: 2024-10-04T00:00:00+10:00
Duration: 4 min 58 s
Description: After a night at a neighbour's place near Townsville, a single mother drove her unregistered, uninsured farm buggy 300 metres before police stopped her. With an exceptional 25-year record and the Traffic Offenders Program, she received the 6-month minimum, $2,000 in fines and no conviction.

By Joshua Boorman, Principal, Boorman Lawyers · 4 October 2024 · 4:58 video

Jurisdiction: Queensland
Court: Townsville Magistrates Court
Charges: High range drink driving (reading unclear in captions), driving an unregistered vehicle, driving an uninsured vehicle
Outcome: Guilty pleas. 6-month minimum disqualification, no conviction recorded, fines totalling $2,000 ($1,200 + $400 + $400) referred to SPER.
Filmed: October 2024

Summary

After a night at a neighbour's place near Townsville, a single mother drove her unregistered, uninsured farm buggy 300 metres before police stopped her. With an exceptional 25-year record and the Traffic Offenders Program, she received the 6-month minimum, $2,000 in fines and no conviction.

Key takeaways

The vehicle was an ATV farm buggy, unregistered and uninsured, driven about 300 metres on the road.
The client had only two minor infringements in 25 years of driving and no criminal record.
She completed the Traffic Offenders Program before court.
The court imposed the 6-month minimum for a high range offence and recorded no conviction.
Fines of $2,000 in total were referred to SPER to be paid over time.

A high range charge, and a farm buggy

In this Townsville drink driving case study, Joshua Boorman appeared at Townsville Magistrates Court on a high range drink driving charge, together with charges of driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle. (The reading is unclear in the recording’s captions; it was in the high range.)

What happened

Our client lives a little out of town in Black River. At the end of the work week she went to a neighbour’s place, about 650 metres away, and drank several apple cider drinks between about 6 pm and 1 am.

At the start of the night she had taken her ATV farm buggy over. It was unregistered and uninsured and is usually used only on the farm. At around 2 am she decided to drive it home. She made it about 300 metres down the road. There was no other traffic, but police were patrolling the area and, seeing a buggy on the road at 2 am, pulled her over. She returned a positive reading and a high range final reading.

About our client

She is 43 and a single mother who raised her 19-year-old daughter on her own.
She had been living in Brisbane and is now living in Black River with her brother’s family.
She works for one of the large banks, in the tech sector.
In 25 years of driving she had only two minor traffic infringements, a mobile phone offence and a seatbelt offence from about 23 years ago, and no criminal record.

Townsville drink driving case study: how Joshua Boorman presented the case

Joshua notes that courts often hear that an offence was out of character, but here he could put it in the strongest possible terms. Two minor infringements in 25 years is an exceptionally good record.

She was devastated by the offence and accepted she had done the wrong thing. She completed the Traffic Offenders Program and learned a lot from it. The aim was to avoid a conviction being recorded and to secure the minimum disqualification for a high range offence.

The outcome

the 6-month minimum disqualification;
no conviction recorded; and
fines of $1,200 for the drink driving, $400 for the unregistered vehicle and $400 for the uninsured vehicle, $2,000 in total.

Joshua says the fine was probably a little higher than usual. It has been referred to the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER), so she can pay it off over time.

What this case shows

Even a short trip on a farm vehicle on a quiet road is drink driving if it happens on a road. A long, clean record and genuine remorse allowed the court to impose the minimum and not record a conviction. Every case is different, and outcomes depend on the facts.

Key general information (QLD)

General information only, not legal advice, as at October 2026. Every case turns on its own facts.

Drink driving offences: In Queensland, drink driving offences are set out in the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 (Qld).
The broad penalty picture: For a first offence at 0.15 or more, TMR lists a minimum disqualification of 6 months, a maximum fine of $6,908 and up to 9 months’ imprisonment (as at October 2026; TMR notes fines rose by 3.5% on 1 July 2026).
Alcohol interlocks: According to TMR, the Alcohol Ignition Interlock Program applies to people convicted of “high-risk” drink driving offences.
Sentencing and convictions: Alongside the disqualification set under the road transport laws, the general sentencing law in Queensland is the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 (Qld).
The court process: Drink and drug driving charges in Queensland are dealt with in the Magistrates Court.

Frequently asked questions

What penalty did the client receive?

The 6-month minimum disqualification, no conviction recorded, and fines totalling $2,000: $1,200 for the drink driving and $400 each for the unregistered and uninsured vehicle charges.

What is SPER?

SPER is the State Penalties Enforcement Registry. In this case Joshua explains that the fines were referred to SPER so the client can pay them off over time.

Why was a conviction not recorded?

Joshua put to the court that the offence was wildly out of character, given her exceptionally good 25-year traffic record, no criminal record and her remorse. The magistrate agreed not to record a conviction.

What are the penalties for a first high range offence in Queensland?

For a first offence at 0.15 or more, TMR lists a minimum disqualification of 6 months, a maximum fine of $6,908 and up to 9 months’ imprisonment (as at October 2026).

Who has to do the interlock program in Queensland?

According to TMR, people convicted of high-risk drink driving offences, which include driving at 0.10 or more, driving under the influence, failing to provide a specimen, dangerous driving while affected by alcohol, and two or more drink driving offences within five years.

Read the video transcript

Hey it's Josh here just at Townsville Magistrates Court I've appeared on a high-range drink driving offence [unclear: '.74' in the captions] and also came with a drive unregistered and uninsured vehicle so the facts of the matter were this our client um lives a little bit out of town in Black River um end of the work week she' gone over to some neighbors place was drinking um quite a large amount of alcohol between uh 6:00 p.m. till 1:00 a.m. drinking several apple cider drinks

And um the property the the neighbor's property was only about 650 M away um she foolishly at the start of that night took her um ATV Farm buggy over there um which was unregistered which was uninsured um and it's usually used just on the the Ridge Farm that they have but uh she took it there poor decision at the end of the night around 2:00 a.m. to drive home um very only made it about 300 M down the road there was no traffic at all around except for the police were doing patrols of the area they obviously saw a buggy driving on the road at 2: a.m. in the morning

Thought this is interesting they pulled her over positive reading and uh a final blood alcohol concentration reading of [unclear: '.74' in the captions] um now my client has had uh she's 43 she's got a 19-year-old daughter single mother she's raised all on her own she's currently was living in Brisbane but um currently living up uh uh in Black River with her brother and brother's family um she's uh working for uh one of the large Banks um in the uh the tech sector there

Um so you know single mother she's been doing it tough for a number of years and to her credit she has got never put really a foot wrong she's got two minor traffic infringements over um over a period of 25 years of driving I think there was one mobile phone and one seat seat belt offence from like 23 years ago so as I said to um the court um often the court hears that this is out of character for the defendant

But um I could today press it in the strongest possible terms that this was definitely out of character for my client she's got no criminal record she's got two minor traffic infringements over 25 years which is an exceptionally good traffic record and it does show that this sort of incident before the court today was wildly out of character for her um she's uh been quite devastated by the uh offence but um uh accepts that she's done the wrong thing

She went and did the Traffic Offenders Program learned a lot about that and um ultimately today our client was seeking um to avoid a conviction being recorded um we put that to the court and that was acceded to um we're also um seeking the minimum disqualification uh for a high range offence um which was 6 months and that was also uh granted to our client she was given probably a little bit higher fine than usual of

$1,200 for the DUI $400 for the unregistered vehicle and $400 for the uninsured vehicle so $2,000 all up um that's been referred to SPER she can pay that off over time but certainly um uh she was very happy with the outcome could not have received a better outcome today 6 months minimum uh disqualification uh $2,000 fine for all all offences and no conviction recorded um she's certainly very uh remorseful and she's um I don't think we'll ever see her back before the criminal justice system again

And she's very happy that um she can move forward get over her um penalty and um and and move forward and focus on her job and and supporting her young daughter so that's the matter here at Townsville uh Magistrates Court in Far North Queensland uh on this sunny and hot day but uh thanks for tuning in.

General information only, based on Queensland law at the time of filming. Not legal advice — every case turns on its own facts. Past results don't guarantee future outcomes.

Summary

Key takeaways

A high range charge, and a farm buggy

What happened

About our client

Townsville drink driving case study: how Joshua Boorman presented the case

The outcome

What this case shows

Key general information (QLD)

Further reading and related videos

Frequently asked questions

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