![Driving home from friend's house costs man $800 Driving home from friend's house costs man $800](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/yRSj6DDuWivnNCc45BdLiH/f849a5b5-fd9e-45cf-80b6-ca1f11b1742d.jpg/r0_378_4032_2646_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A man's decision to drive from a friend's house on Clifton Boulevard to his own on the same street has cost him $800.
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Felix Sebastian, 55, faced Griffith Local on the charge of mid-range drink driving on June 28.
During his first appearance before court on the charge, Sebastian entered a plea of guilty.
According to documents tendered to court, police were travelling on Haines Street at 12.20am on May 31 when they stopped at an intersection with Clifton Boulevard and saw a silver Toyota Kluger driving faster than the posted speed limit of 50 kilometres an hour.
Police turned onto the street and while maintaining a gap of two seconds, followed the Toyota as it travelled along the road at no less than 60 to 65 kilometres an hour.
After stopping Sebastian, police gave him a roadside breath test which was positive, and a secondary test at Griffith police station revealed a reading of 0.108.
Sebastian told police he had three whisky and sodas between 10pm and 11pm on May 30.
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Sebastian's solicitor Chelsea Connell said her client worked in community crisis accommodation in Griffith and had completed the traffic offenders program.
Ms Connell told the court Sebastian was driving from a friend's house to his own house at the time and since being stopped by police on May 31 had been off the road.
Ms Connell conceded Sebastian's high reading, and the fact police had observed him speeding, made what was a short journey dangerous.
She said her client needed his licence to be able to drive the bus used to support vulnerable people staying at community crisis accommodation.
Ms Connell said Sebastian arrived in Australia 12 years ago and had no driving offences on his record and should be able to rely on that good record when it came to sentencing.
"If you take a risk of driving after having a drink, there is a consequence that flows from that," Magistrate Trevor Khan said.
"Your client is an intelligent man who doesn't need to do the traffic offenders program to know he shouldn't drink and drive," Mr Khan said.
"People of good character kill others because they make the decision to drink and drive."
Sebastian was fined $800 and disqualified for three months from driving from May 31.
He will serve 12 months on the mandatory interlock licence.
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