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Man riding quad bike was more than twice legal alcohol limit

By Monique Preston

Sep 12, 2022

Guilty plea: A Toolamba man was more than twice the legal alcohol limit while riding a quad bike. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

A man was more than double the legal alcohol limit when he was caught riding a quad bike in Shepparton in the early hours of a February morning, a court has heard.

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Timothy Ewart, 35, of Toolamba, pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to drink driving and driving an unregistered vehicle.

Prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Carita Thompson told the court police saw Ewart riding a Honda TXR quad bike in Channel Rd, Shepparton, with a passenger on the back, at 4am on February 20.

When he was stopped and breath-tested in Archer St, Shepparton, he recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.116.

The quad bike was also unregistered.

He told police at the time he was “just trying to get home”, Leading Sen Constable Thompson said.

Ewart was disqualified from driving on the night.

Representing himself in court, Ewart said he had been at a barbecue at a friend’s house that night and the owner of the property they were at had to go and be with a child who was sick.

“The passenger and I felt we had to get out of there,” Ewart said.

“I’m very sorry. It was a silly thing to do.”

He said he was driving to his passenger’s house when he was caught.

Ewart also told the court that he does not normally drink alcohol.

The magistrate fined Ewart $1200 and ordered he pay $131.50 in court costs.

His driver’s licence was also cancelled and he was disqualified from driving for 11 months, backdated to February 20 when his licence was taken off him by police.