William Bucknell faces court for high-range drink-driving in Orange

William John Wentworth Bucknell, 20, of Park Lane, was seen turning from Diamond Drive onto Messina Street about 2.25am on November 13.

According to police, Bucknell was driving well below the signposted 50km/h speed limit and he kept breaking then speeding up.

Police stopped him near the intersection of Messina Street and Molloy Drive and while speaking to him they noticed his speech was slurred and there was a strong smell of alcohol on his breath.

Bucknell produced a positive breath test and when he got out of his car police noticed he was unsteady on his feet.

He was arrested and taken to Orange Police Station where he underwent a breath analysis and returned a reading of 0.162.

He said he drank the six schooners of beer and three cans of bourbon and cola between 9pm on November 12 and 2.15am on November 13.

Solicitor Mason Manwaring said Bucknell had completed the Traffic Offenders Intervention Program.

Mr Manwaring said Bucknell was also involved with the Rural Fire Service, is a student in Newcastle and had plans to help on the family farm at Grenfell.

Magistrate David Day took into account a police suspension of Bucknell's driver's licence when he convicted him in court.

"It's unclear how far he drove but he was an accident waiting to happen," Mr Day said.

Mr Day placed Bucknell on a 12-month interlock order, disqualified his driver's licence for five months and placed him on a 24-month interlock order.

"He has no prior offences," Mr Day said.

"[He's] a young man falling into of course what I call the dangerous demographic, males [aged] 17 to 26, dominating the road accident statistics.

"He's a young man with his whole life ahead of him. I don't expect him to create more high-range offences, if he does he will go to jail."

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