Love Island Australia 2022‘s Jordan Dowsett has pleaded guilty to mid-range drink driving after he was caught driving a golf buggy at a major Gold Coast intersection whilst intoxicated.
The 25-year-old faced Southport Magistrate’s Court on November 28 to face the charges, sporting his infamous mullet hairdo.
Police pulled the golf cart over around 3 am on November 13 after spotting Dowsett travelling towards Brisbane Road and Olsen Avenue intersection at Biggera Waters.
The reality star was reportedly returning from a nearby service station, where he picked up some food.
The court heard that officers noticed a “strong smell of liquor” coming from Dowsett, and his speech was “partially slurred”.
When roadside breath tested, Dowsett returned a positive reading and admitted he’d been “consuming a moderate amount of liquor” before driving. A second breath test at Southport Police Station saw him blow 0.159.
Blake Fraser, of Fraser Lawyers, said Dowsett was visiting a friend in a nearby gated community that evening.
“His friend [uses] the golf buggy to travel around the gated community,” Mr Fraser explained. “[Dowsett] had originally entered the golf buggy as a passenger and travelled a short distance to the closest petrol station to get some food.
“However, the defendant made the stupid decision to get behind the wheel for the travel back.”
Jordan Dowsett’s Lawyer Argued He Will be Unable to “FulFil His Obligations” with a Suspended License
The lawyer told the court his client needed a license for his job, asking the magistrate to consider reducing Dowsett’s time off the road.
“He left school early so he could start his apprenticeship as an electrician [and] he’s worked in the industry for the past eight years,” Mr Fraser said.
“He’s only been with his current employer for three weeks and he won’t be able to fulfil his obligations without a licence.
“So that will obviously affect his ability to earn an income.”
Mr Fraser also highlighted that Dowsett had completed the traffic offenders’ course in hopes his sentence would be reduced.
What Was the Magistrate’s Decision?
Magistrate Mark Bamberry said he could “understand” that Dowsett “probably thought [he wasn’t] doing anything wrong” in his “intoxicated state”.
“But you’ve since learnt that it is [an offence] and it’s now going to cost you your job according to [a letter from] your employer.”
Mr Bamberry reduced the Love Island contestant’s disqualification period down to a minimum of six months.
Dowsett was also convicted and fined $750, which the magistrate reduced due to the offender’s “young age” and “career prospects”.
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