A 26-year-old man who stole a tractor from an Inverleigh farm, driving it 30km towards Ballarat before it broke down was unlicensed and drunk at the time, a court has heard.
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Scott Arklay appeared in the Ballarat Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to a number of charges including theft of a motor vehicle.
The court heard Arklay walked to an unoccupied farm in the early hours of January 11 where he found a tractor and climbed into the drivers seat.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Steve Kent said Arklay drove the tractor away from the farm, crashing through the front gates and making it 30km before the tractor broke down. Arklay began walking along Inverleigh-Shelford Road before he was arrested, later telling police he “got on the grog and made a stupid decision”.
Senior Constable Kent said earlier in the month an intoxicated Arklay was found by the owner of another Inverleigh farm, hiding in a bush holding a dipstick.
He said the owner also noticed his ute had been moved. Arklay denied knowing about the ute being moved, telling police he was heading home from a party and was cutting across the farm. The court also heard on December 1, Arklay was intercepted by police in Ballarat East where a preliminary breath test indicated the accused had been drinking.
A breath test at the station revealed Arklay had a blood alcohol reading of 0.189. He told police he had been drinking with friends for 12 hours prior.
Arklay’s defence lawyer said his client acknowledged the charges were serious and understood the damage to the farms caused stress for the owners. He said Arklay did not know either farmer, but had made efforts to apologise – writing a letter of apology and saving money to pay for the broken gate.
As for the drink-driving, he said Arklay thought he was under the limit at the time he got behind the wheel.
The lawyer told the court Arklay had since entered an alcohol detox program to deal with his alcoholism, adding he had good prospects of staying off alcohol in the future.
Magistrate Gregory Robinson said he didn’t understand what Arklay wanted to do with the tractor, telling Arklay it was vulnerable people like farmers who needed the court’s protection from people like him.
“You are expressing remorse, but if you come back before the court, letters of remorse won’t help you,” he said.
“You’re one step away from prison.”
Arklay was sentenced to an 18-month CCO with orders to complete 150 hours of community work and alcohol treatment. He was also disqualified from driving for 36 months.
