A Wellington rouseabout has been given a community-based jail sentence after he was caught driving while disqualified twice in less than a month.
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Police were patrolling near Maughan Street in in Wellington when Brendan Charles Higgins, 36, was spotted driving a black Ford Territory on June 23.
At about 9.30pm police activated their warning lights and stopped the 36-year-old for a roadside breath test. Despite a negative breath test, when officers asked Higgins for his licence, he told them didn't have one.
Checks revealed his licence had been disqualified from July 2017 until July 2022.
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Higgins admitted to police he knew he was driving while disqualified, but had to pick his cousin's children up from sport.
About three weeks later on July 18, police were patrolling Wellington when they saw Higgins in his black Ford Territory heading south along the Mitchell Highway at about 10pm.
Police did a u-turn and pulled Higgins over on Hawkins Street for a breath test. Despite a negative result, Higgins got out of the driver's seat and told police he didn't have a licence. Checks revealed he was disqualified and had been charged a month earlier.
Representing himself in Wellington Local Court this week, Higgins pleaded guilty to two counts of driving while disqualified.
He told the court he was "really sorry" for driving, and explained he had been asked to pick up his nieces.
However magistrate Kevin Hockey said "life was always going to throw up emergencies", but driving while disqualified was a very serious offence.
The court heard Higgins had a number of driving while disqualified offences on his record, and while Magistrate Hockey said there had been a gap in offending of 10 years, he now had two within a month.
"You're not going to jail today, but come back again then you're really leaving the court with no other option," Mr Hockey said.
Higgins was handed a 12-month intensive corrections order - a jail term served in the community - ordered to undertake 100 hours of community service work, fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Zaarkacha Marlan
Court and crime reporter at the Daily Liberal. Formerly the sole journalist for the Nyngan Observer, Narromine News and Trangie Advocate.
Court and crime reporter at the Daily Liberal. Formerly the sole journalist for the Nyngan Observer, Narromine News and Trangie Advocate.
