Former soldier busted drink-driving in his own yard - Toowoomba Chronicle

A FORMER soldier had reacted angrily when police charged him with drink-driving after he was seen moving a vehicle in the yard of his Toowoomba home.

A police patrol driving past a Rockville residence on the night of November 2 had seen Tony Andrew Collins reversing a car in his front yard and parking it in the carport, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.

When officers approached him for a breath-test, Collins, 37, argued he hadn't intended driving the car anywhere and that he was simply moving it inside his yard.

He eventually blew a breath/alcohol reading of 0.147 and was charged, police prosecutor Sergeant Tony Costa told the court.

However, after verbally abusing police, Collins was arrested and shouted that he was a soldier who killed people for a living and that he had killed 36 people, the court heard.

Noting he was in a highly agitated state, police tried to restrain Collins for their own safety and that of others at the home.

Taken to the watch house, he had initially refused to get out of the police car then struggled with police moving him to another cell, Sgt Costa said.

Collins pleaded guilty to drink-driving and three counts of obstructing police.

His solicitor Shane MacDonald told the court his client was a former infantryman who had done five tours of duty including four of Afghanistan and he had held the highest security clearance.

He had held a party in the carport that night and was simply returning his car to the garage when police intervened.

Magistrate Damian Carroll accepted Collins now realised drink-driving laws applied everywhere.

"You now know you can be picked up for drink-driving simply by sitting in your car in the garage," he said.

Noting Collins had been without his driver's licence since his arrest and acknowledging his military service, Mr Carroll ordered the conviction not be recorded and fined him $1250 and disqualified him from driving for four months.