NEW SOUTH WALES

Downing Centre DUI Lawyers appeared High Range DUI in the Sydney CBD

By Joshua Boorman · Published · NSW posts

In shortWe appeared in the Downing Centre Local Court on a High Range DUI Offence. Here we discuss case strategy & outcomes. On Wednesday 19 October 2016, Boorman Lawyers attended the Downing Centre Local Court at 143-147 Liverpool Street in Sydney CBD for our client who had been charged with an offence of High Range PCA.

  • High Range DUI Case Summary
  • High Range Drink Driving Charge in NSW
  • Extenuating Circumstances prior to the Offence

New South Wales law · law checked 21 Oct 2026

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Downing Centre DUI Lawyers appeared High Range DUI in the Sydney CBD
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High Range DUI Case Summary

We appeared in the Downing Centre Local Court on a High Range DUI Offence. Here we discuss case strategy & outcomes.

On Wednesday 19 October 2016, Boorman Lawyers attended the Downing Centre Local Court at 143-147 Liverpool Street in Sydney CBD for our client who had been charged with an offence of High Range PCA.

High Range Drink Driving Charge in NSW

Our client had been charged with a high range drink driving offence where the blood alcohol reading recorded was 0.150 just on the cusp of the high range category.

To make matters worse at the time our client was pulled over for drink driving he had a passenger in the car with him. The Courts see this as an aggravating feature where there is an increased risk of injury or even death to other people.

Extenuating Circumstances prior to the Offence

As is usual with all of the cases that we advise and represent on, we spoke to our client to gain a little bit of understanding as to what went wrong on the night late in making this very poor decision to drive after consuming too much alcohol.

It quickly became apparent to us that there were some significant extenuating circumstance is just prior to the incident of drink driving and occurring.

I am advised that after our client and his friend had left the Civic Hotel in the Sydney CBD they jumped into a taxi where they ended up in a violent altercation with four of the men who demanded that my client and his friend were to give up their taxi to them.

My client and his friends refuse to give up their taxi and were set upon by these 4 men at which point they were pushed, punched, kicked and thrown to the ground.

Whilst their injuries were not significant and they did not require any medical or hospital treatment they were certainly left very shaken up. They then decided to hail another taxi at which point they got into that taxi with the intention of going home however about 50 metres down the road police pulled their taxi over they then pulled my client and his friend from the taxi handcuffing them and began questioning them about the altercation that occurred as short time prior.

Once the police realised that my client and his friends were not the instigators of the altercation and were in fact the victims of the assault they were let go by police.

It was at this point in time that my client made a very poor decision and a decision which was most certainly fuelled by his heightened emotional state at the time which caused him to make the decision to walk back to his vehicle and try to depart from the city precinct as quickly as possible.

Given the fact that most of the city CBD is under CCTV surveillance the police watched my client walked back to his vehicle and alerted Police to pull him over which they did and subsequently found my client to have a positive blood alcohol reading.

High Range DUI Court Submissions

Given the unusual turn of events which occurred prior to my client making the decision to drive this background story needed to be strategically put to the court in a way that showed the court that it was not my clients intention on the night to drink and drive however a series of unfortunate events turned a very normal night into a very bad situation.

It was put to the court that the evidence was there that my client had got into two separate taxis to go home which showed that there was no intention for him or pre-planning involved for him to drive his vehicle after he had been drinking. Instead it was put to the court that it was a very spur of the moment decision to drive his vehicle and obviously a decision which was affected by his emotional state after he had been assaulted.

Counselling following the incident of assault

Shortly after the night in question my client felt somewhat traumatised by the turn of events that occurred that night, not only for being caught for drink driving but also the violent altercation that he was the victim of. To his credit he went along and obtain some counselling from his University counsellor.

We were able to obtain a short report from the counsellor to give a further insight about how the night had affected him.

Traffic Offenders Program New South Wales

Prior to the court hearing our client had successfully completed the fully approved New South Wales Traffic Offenders Program and to his credit he had taken a lot away from that course.

We were able to also tender a completion certificate and workbook to the court to show how engaged he was with that course and how much he had taken away from it is certainly worked in my clients favour.

High Range PCA Court Outcome

The Magistrate took on board the extenuating circumstances that were submitted before the Court along with the positive steps that our client had taken since the offence occurred in order to rehabilitate and ensure that the offence would not be repeated again in the future.

The Magistrate at the Downing Centre Local Court reduced our clients disqualification period to the minimum of 12 months and instead of issuing a fine or monetary penalty he decided to put our client on a Good Behaviour Bond for 6 months.

Money and time off the road were issues for our client so the full reduction of disqualification period to the minimum was very welcome by our client as to was the fact that no fine was issued.

It is worth noting that since he was charged with a High Range PCA offence the Mandatory Alcohol Interlock Lawsapply which means that he would have to install a interlock device into his car for a period of 2 years after he commence his driving duties.

Next steps after a high range drink driving charge

Put simply: Money and time off the road were issues for our client so the full reduction of disqualification period to the minimum was very welcome by our client as to was the fact that no fine was issued. This matter was dealt with at Downing Centre Local Court. The reading was 0.150. The court was given a traffic offenders program certificate, evidence of counselling, evidence of rehabilitation and medical material. Call 1300 941 900 if you need advice about high range drink driving in New South Wales.

Penalties for high range drink driving as they stand now: New South Wales traffic law. Each case turns on its own facts, so treat this Downing Centre Local Court result as general information, not legal advice. Call 1300 941 900 or make an enquiry about legal representation.

Law update since this post (checked 21 Oct 2026)

This post was first published on 20 October 2016. The narrative above is kept as published. These notes record later changes to the law.

  • Since 24 September 2018, NSW good behaviour bonds, community service orders and suspended sentences have been replaced by conditional release orders, community correction orders and intensive correction orders (Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999). References to the older orders in this post describe the law when the matter was decided.
  • The NSW mandatory alcohol interlock program has applied since 1 February 2015 and was extended to first-offence mid range offenders from 20 May 2019 (Road Transport Act 2013 Part 7.4A).

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FAQs about this post

What was the high range drink driving charge?

We appeared in the Downing Centre Local Court on a High Range DUI Offence. Here we discuss case strategy & outcomes.

What did the magistrate order?

The Magistrate took on board the extenuating circumstances that were submitted before the Court along with the positive steps that our client had taken since the offence occurred in order to rehabilitate and ensure that the offence would not be repeated again in the future.

Can I rely on this October 2016 post?

This was first published 20 October 2016. For high range drink driving today, check the current NSW law page as well as any dated note on this post.

Sources and date checked

Sources and references for this page, checked 21 Oct 2026.

This page is general information about New South Wales law only. It is not legal advice. Every matter turns on its own facts.

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