Chuol Kuetha Luak pleads guilty in Ballarat court for drink-driving

Chuol Kuetha Luak pleaded guilty to drink driving after recording a reading of 0.412. He also faced charges of careless driving and driving while disqualified at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Ben Jones told the court a witness saw Luak drive carelessly and slowly veer off the road, before colliding with a vehicle parked outside a house on Greenhalghs Road in Delacombe on November 10, 2018.

The court heard police were called and Luak was taken to the Ballarat Police Station for an evidentiary breath test. Checks showed his licence was cancelled.

The court heard Luak failed to provide a reading on the evidentiary breath test machine three times, so he was taken to the Ballarat Base Hospital for a blood test.

Analysis showed his blood contained 0.412 grams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

The court heard Luak was unable to give a coherent answer to police when questioned and said he had five or six light beers on the day of the crash.

When questioned in December, he told police his father had passed away, so he was stressed, and he drove because he needed credit for his phone.

Defence lawyer David Tamanika made submissions for a sentence of a community corrections order and a fine.

Magistrate Ron Saines sentenced Luak to an 18 month community corrections order with a requirement he engage in treatment and rehabilitation for alcohol abuse.

He was also ordered to pay $3500 in fines, court costs of $127.40 and was disqualified from driving for five years.

"I understand not having a licence may make your working and family life difficult, but I am satisfied in your case this is such an extraordinary alcohol reading that you need to have a long period of alcohol abstinence before you are permitted to drive," Mr Saines said.

"If you drive during this period you commit an offence punishable by imprisonment. If you breach the order... that is also punishable by imprisonment."