A McDonald's drive-through was damaged after a drunken Dubbo man woke up in a bus after a rugby trip "hungry".
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Tavis Anthony Vaughan was sentenced in Dubbo Local Court after he was charged with negligent driving and refusing to submit a breath test.
According to court documents, the 26-year-old drove a white Mitsubishi bus through the McDonald's drive-through at West Dubbo about 1.30am on April 25.
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However due to the height of the bus it collided with the awning covering the drive-through, damaging it and causing Vaughan to come to a stop at the collection window.
When police arrived Vaughan was located with another man at the rear of the bus, who both claimed they were not the drivers.
But McDonald's staff and CCTV footage exposed Vaughan to be the driver behind the wheel.
Police conducted a roadside breath test, which returned a positive result "well in excess of the legal limit".
However when Vaughan was taken back to Dubbo Police Station, officers tried four times to get him to undertake a breath analysis. Despite "explicit instruction" from police to continue blowing, officers said Vaughn "would stop after a short initial blow".
He shouldn't have been driving anywhere, let alone through the McDonald's drive-through
- Magistrate Theresa Hamilton
Vaughan later admitted to drinking 20 cans of Great Northern mid-strength beer over eight hours prior to the crash.
In Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday, Vaughan pleaded guilty to negligent driving and failing to undergo a breath analysis.
Defence solicitor Evan Dowd said Vaughan had been in Canowindra playing rugby for the Yeoval Eagles before he got behind the wheel of the bus.
Mr Dowd told the court Vaughan had slept on the team bus on the way home to Dubbo before waking up "hungry" in the early hours of the morning.
Because the McDonald's restaurant was closed to dine-in customers, Mr Dowd said Vaughan "stupidly" drive the bus through the drive-through.
"There was no intention to drive any further out on the public road," Mr Dowd said.
The court heard Vaughan had owned his own concreting business since he was 21, and had seven employees. Mr Dowd said since the incident, he's taken on an employee to act as his driver at a cost of $800 a week.
Magistrate Theresa Hamilton accepted Vaughan recognised he acted in a "foolish manner" and would have to pay compensation for the "substantial damage" to McDonalds.
"He shouldn't have been driving anywhere, let alone through the McDonald's drive-through," she said.
Vaughan was convicted and disqualified from driving for six months, fined $950 and ordered to install an interlock device for two years.
In court documents, police said a quote to repair the awning Vaughan damaged would cost $11,100, however that was yet to be finalised and would be decided at a later date.