Ian Lyndon Green convicted for drink driving, crashing and fleeing

Ian Lyndon Green, 30, of Kings Meadows, pleaded guilty to drink driving, crashing a car, and fleeing the scene of an accident.

Police prosecutor Jack Fawdry told the court on March 14, at 11.40am, Green was driving a silver Mitsubishi Triton at Kings Meadows when he crashed the car into a gutter, causing the vehicle to flip on its side.

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Mr Fawdry said Green was not present at the scene of the crash when they arrived, having walked 250 metres back to his house.

Police conducted an alcohol breath analysis on Green, where he had a blood alcohol content (BAC) reading of 0.108.

The court heard that Green alleged he had been drinking at his sister's place the night before and had drank "around half a carton of Hann low-carb beer".

Mr Fawdry said Green had stayed at his sister's house that night and left that morning to get food.

Green told police he left the accident scene because "everyone knew it was him who crashed, and he didn't think it would be an issue".

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Defence lawyer Olivia Jenkins said Green did not consider alcohol may still be in his system the following day.

Ms Jenkins said it was a "perfect storm" that led to the accident, saying Green's phone had rung and momentarily distracted him.

Ms Jenkins said after the crash, a crowd gathered at the scene, making Green uncomfortable.

"There were a number of people gawking at the sight, and it was even shared on the Launceston Chit Chat Facebook group," Ms Jenkins said.

Ms Jenkins said Green did not attempt to flee the scene but had "left because people were staring".

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Since the accident, Ms Jenkins said Green had suffered "significant financial losses to his painting business" as he was issued a driving disqualification by police.

Magistrate Simon Brown said as a P1 provisional driver Green should not have any alcohol in his system, let alone double the legal limit for a fully licensed driver.

Mr Brown said Green had made a poor miscalculation when he assumed he did not have alcohol before driving.

"At 30 years old, you should know better," Mr Brown said.

Mr Brown convicted Green on all counts and disqualified him from driving for seven months, backdated to the time of the crash.

Green was also fined a total of $1600.

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