Drink-driver asleep at wheel

A Boyup Brook man has admitted to drunkenly falling asleep while driving his vehicle late at night after an argument with a friend, causing it to smash through a school and roll on to an oval. Luke George Thomsen, 29, pleaded guilty to the drink-driving charge against him in relation to the serious crash earlier this year. The court heard last week Thomsen got behind the wheel of his Toyota LandCruiser in the late hours of May 22 after a night of drinking at a friend’s house. The court heard an argument had started between the friends, which caused Thomsen to drive angrily away from the premises. While driving along Inglis Street in Boyup Brook, Thomsen fell asleep, which caused the car to leave the road at the corner of Robinson Avenue. He then crashed through a fence attached to St Mary’s Catholic School and rolled the car multiple times on to the school oval. Police arrived on the scene after being alerted by nearby residents and breath tested the man. He returned a positive blood alcohol result of 0.180. Thomsen’s duty lawyer said he was aware of how lucky he was to walk away unharmed from the crash and he was looking to get help for his drinking issues. “Mr Thomsen has his first (Alcoholics Anonymous) meeting this week and will also potentially be seeking counselling,” she said. Magistrate Benjamin Tyers sentenced Thomsen to a $2400 fine and an 18-month driving ban for his offence. Thomsen was not injured in the crash.