Former Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies has narrowly avoided a prison sentence after he crashed his car while drunk and allegedly refused a breath test back in January.
The 38-year-old was charged with mid-range drink driving on 21st January, after crashing into a power pole in the Newcastle suburb of Islington, to which he pleaded guilty in court, Fairfax Media reports. His breath test at the time returned a reading of 0.144, nearly three times the legal limit.
The magistrate, Peter Barnett SC, said that Gillies was “very much at peril” of going to jail, noting that Gillies was “just below the high-range [drink-driving level] and has a high degree of moral culpability”.
Ultimately, Gillies avoided a prison sentence and community service, and was given an 18-month good behaviour bond, a $2,200 fine and a 12-month disqualification.
According to Gillies’ legal representative, Craig Robinson, the musician relapsed in his drinking during the period of time when his wife, Jackie Gillies, was out of the country appearing on the reality television show I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!.
Both Ben and Jackie have been quiet about the incident on social media, with only Jackie posting on Instagram that it was the couple’s eight-year anniversary yesterday.
