Peter Perrin no doubt thought he was doing a good thing when he decided to drive down the road to Shell Cove Woolworths on Saturday afternoon for his wheelchair bound mother.
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He was her full-time carer, she had a headache, and he wanted to ease her pain.
But Perrin’s so-called good deed was apparently a rather thoughtless one too.
He wasn’t meant to be driving that day.
In fact, the 33-year-old was not supposed to get behind the wheel of a car for at least another 20 years according to his traffic record, which says he’s disqualified from driving until 2039.
A recidivist traffic offender, Perrin has racked up 12 charges of driving without a valid licence – the most recent in March this year, for which he was sentenced in October.
He miraculously avoided a full-time jail sentence at the time, however in court on Sunday, police prosecutor Sergeant Shannon Ryan noted Perrin’s luck had probably just run out.
“He’s currently subject to two intensive corrections orders for the same offence,” he said, referencing the October sentence.
He said it was highly likely Perrin would receive a full-time jail sentence if convicted of the fresh offence.
Defence lawyer Maria Lynch sought bail on Perrin’s behalf, saying there was no friends or family available to care for his disabled mother.
“He left to get her [medicine] and he hasn’t returned,” she said.
“He hopes Corrective Services have called his mother to let her know what’s happened.”
She said Perrin could lodge a self-surety of up to $2,000 to ensure he complied with bail. However, Registrar Tina McKenna said Perrin’s history of breaching court orders meant she had no confidence he would comply with bail conditions if released.
She refused Perrin’s application and remanded him in custody until December 31, when he will be given the chance to make a fresh application.
