A Caboolture glazier pleads guilty after his newly bought car from Facebook Marketplace took a dramatic crash in Sunshine Coast hinterland.
Troy Gordon Shields, a 34-year-old glazier from Caboolture, appeared via video link from Woodford Prison in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Friday. He pleaded guilty to eight charges stemming from a February 21 incident where he crashed a recently purchased vehicle into a creek bed in Nambour.
The court heard that Shields, a father of three, had bought the car from Facebook Marketplace shortly before the incident. According to his defence lawyer, Breanna Bowtell, Shields claimed the brakes weren’t working properly when he was driving the vehicle.
However, witnesses reported hearing loud revving along Image Flat Road in Nambour before two distinct bangs. Police investigations revealed that Shields had sideswiped a parked car and hit a guardrail, causing his vehicle to flip onto its roof in a nearby creek bed.
The situation was further complicated by the fact that the car was uninsured, unregistered, and bore paper plates. Shields himself was unlicensed at the time of the incident. Subsequent tests showed positive results for methamphetamine, alcohol, and amphetamine in his system.
Acting Magistrate Anna Smith noted that the car had a modified muffler, accounting for the loud noises reported by witnesses. Police determined that Shields lost control of the vehicle after hitting the edge of a roundabout, with skid marks found leading up to the crash site.
Shields, who has previously struggled with alcohol and methamphetamine addiction, hopes to return to his profession as a glazier upon release from custody. He has been sentenced to eight months in jail, suspended immediately for 15 months, and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Published 27-September-2024
