Wacky Tawake Busted DUI

Jone Tawake is a really good footballer who has the same effect on the field as using abowling ball when your opponent has chess pieces. Good to watch. When interviewed, clearly a thoughtful and somewhat quiet and retiring bloke.

He is still charged with doing a bad thing, and he has to wear the cost (whatever fine and/or suspension is necessary from the court and some grief from his rugby management). Footballers aren’t exempt from the law or discipline, though it’s silly to consider them as role models. I doubt whether Jone will make a mistake like this again and hope that he goes on playing locally for as long as he is fit and willing to do so.

As if you’d lose your clearance for a base-range PCA!

I think you’d be pretty unlucky to lose your clearance, unless it was something showing dishonesty (eg fraud).

But how many of you would expect to lose your job, or at least be subjected to a harsh fine when you returned to work?

I’d expect to lose my security clearance, or at least have it reviewed, especially if I received a criminal conviction, which Tawake could.

Vic Bitterman is quite correct in his explanation of the drink driving laws in NSW. Individuals with a reading of 0.05 to 0.08 are considered to be low range PCA (prescribed concentration of alcohol), and yes, this does include a reading of 0.05 on the nose. A court hearing is necessary to address the charges, and legal aid is generally not available (unless I think you blow high range and/or it is a second or subsequent drink driving offence).

So Tawake will be at the whim of the Court’s decision, which at low range pca can involve a fine of up to $1,100, automatic licence disqualification of 6 months (the Court has the discretion to apply an absolute minimum disqualification of 3 months instead) and a criminal conviction for drink driving. These are the standard sentencing arrangements for low range PCA in NSW.

Having said this, the Court can however choose to apply a ‘Section 10’ dismissal (this is available under the NSW Crimes Act). Under this situation, the Magistrate finds the offender guilty but the charges can be dsmissed (either conditionally or unconditionally at the Magistrate’s discretion). This means Tawake won’t have a conviction recorded and any other sanctions are up to the Magistrate: he may/my not cop a fine or Court costs, may/may not cop licence disqualification, and may/may not cop a good behaviour bond-type arrangement.

Last thing I will pont out (phew) – It is quite a common misnoma that you are off the hook if you blow an even 0.05. Some of you may have noticed the absence of the old ‘0.05 to stay alive’ advertisements which used to be floating around a few years ago. My understanding is they canned that particular slogan campaign as you will be charged with drink driving if you are at this exact level. Drink driving ad campaigns nowadays also refrain from advising the number of drinks men and women can consume to be within the limit, to eliminate any recourse in the rarer situations where people find themselves over the limit even when sticking to those standard drinks counting rules of thumb. The way our bodies process alcohol varies between every individual.

caf you are wrong. The DUI limit in every US state is .08 except Colorado, Delaware and Minnesota where it is .10 Nowhere in the US is the limit .05 These are the facts. In future caf it would be a good idea not to consult Wikipedia for information as the information on it is quite often wrong as anybody can post anything they like regardless of the facts and anybody can edit any article on it.

It’s been the case since at least the early 90’s in NSW Ingee…. as to Tawake he’ll probably get a lecture from the beak and court costs. I doubt he’ll cop a suspension or fine….

I think quite a lot of our sports people may receive harsher treatment than many of the general public. They may get slightly better treatment by the courts, because they can afford good legal representation. But how many of you would expect to lose your job, or at least be subjected to a harsh fine when you returned to work?

Are you his boyfriend or something, Ingeegoodbee? I couldn’t give a toss what happens to him on the field – I was talking about a general attitude that footy players should be allowed to break the law from time to time but we should all forgive them because they have no necks and can catch a ball. Having said that, if I was paying a squillion dollars for an athlete who was recklessly disregarding his own safety and whose actions could bring the sport into disrepute, I’d be pretty pissed.

“Looks like we could start a lynch mob though.”

To break him out of jail for the ARC I hope.