Christmas brought dad undone | Gympie News | Local News in Gympie

IT was a decision he probably thought twice about, but making sure his child was happy on Christmas Day took priority at the time.

Unlicensed driver David Alan Jessop, 37, made a last-minute dash into town on Christmas Eve when he discovered a part was missing on a present.

He was stopped in his tracks on Mary Valley Road by Imbil Police who were conducting random breath tests and he recorded an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .078 per cent.

In Gympie Magistrates Court to face charges of driving over the limit and without a licence, Jessop admitted he had a couple of drinks on Christmas Eve before he discovered the missing part.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Lisa Manns told the court Jessop was a repeat-unlicensed offender who had previously been disqualified from driving but had failed to obtain a new licence after his disqualification period was up.

Looking at his traffic history, Magistrate Maxine Baldwin said she knew the reason why, and that was because Jessop hadn’t dealt with a licence suspension by the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) for not paying fines.

“You’ve got more problems,…burying your head is not going to solve them,” Mrs Baldwin said and told the court Jessop had served time in jail for driving offences.

“Imagine if dad wasn’t there for Christmas Day — it would be worse than a missing part.”

Jessop, of Little Bella Creek Road, Bella Creek, had his licence disqualified for four months and was fined $200 for unlicensed driving.

He was also disqualified for six months and fined $500 for drink driving.

“When your six months is up, get in there and get a licence and put this nonsense behind you,” Mrs Baldwin said.