Terry Evans sentenced for drunk driving after crash at Shellharbour

"You were very very drunk. You went down the street and moved in a way that locals thought you were going to leave," Magistrate Mark Douglass said of Terry Evans' crash on the evening of January 9.

"And what do you do? You go back to your car and have another beer."

Evans was sentenced at Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol.

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The 53-year-old drank a number of beers before getting behind the wheel of his white Holden Combo and driving north along Wollongong Street, Shellharbour just before 10pm.

His front right tyre popped and deflated after he hit an object however he continued to swerve through Surf Road before he crashed into a parked blue LDV ute.

Nearby residents came outside to investigate the "loud bang" caused by the crash and found Evans attempting to turn his car around to flee.

Evans got out of the car and pleaded with a resident to not contact police, however the resident confiscated his keys and said he was in "no state to drive".

The drunk man then swung his arms at the resident, with the owner of the blue LDV intervening to move him away. Evans conceded defeat and walked back into his car where he drank another beer.

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Police arrived soon after and found a "highly intoxicated" Evans with bloodshot eyes. He rummaged around his vehicle for seven minutes to find his licence.

He was taken to Lake Illawarra police station after a roadside breath test returned a result of .297 - about six times over the legal limit.

However due to custody being at high capacity that evening, police were unable to undertake a further blood alcohol analysis on Evans within the statutory two hours, and could only charge him with driving while under the influence.

Defence lawyer Daryl Quirk said Evans was using alcohol as a crutch after his life "spiralled downward" following the death of his mother and sister.

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However police prosecutor Sergeant David Weaver submitted Evans' alcohol issues stem before those tragic events, and that he has failed to get on top of his addiction "for over a decade".

"I don't accept entirely that his alcohol use was from his recent losses ... he already has two PCAs on his record," Sgt Weaver said.

Evans was handed a nine month intensive correction order and was disqualified from driving for the same time period.

He must also install an interlock device in his vehicle for two years after the disqualification has lapsed.

Read more Illawarra court and crime stories here.

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