Its laughable that being stripped of the captaincy was deemed as punishment in the eyes of the magistrate when, in the real world, it carries little significance. I mean, what is the deterrent to stop him doing it again?
You then get a tradie charged and convicted(rightly, because he was DUI)and his punishment hampers him to at least make him stop & think before trying it on again.
The Inglis defence: is your client the captain of the Kangaroos?
Georgina Mitchell16 January 2019 — 12:05am
A man has been disqualified from driving for three months after his lawyer compared his drink-driving case to that of NRL superstar Greg Inglis.
Steven Said Kazzi, 40, was pulled over for a random breath test in the early hours of October 23, 2018 after police saw his Toyota Hilux driving along the Princes Highway at Banksia.
NRL star Greg Inglis outside the Downing Centre Local Court on January 14. CREDIT:AAP
It was "immediately apparent" that he was "well affected" by alcohol, according to police facts, with red eyes and slurred speech.
Mr Kazzi, who admitted to drinking eight scotches between 5pm and 2am, was taken to Kogarah Police Station where he returned a blood-alcohol reading of 0.116.
He was charged with mid-range drink driving and pleaded guilty.
Loading
On Tuesday, as Mr Kazzi was sentenced at Sutherland Local Court, his solicitor Rana Saab invoked the case of Mr Inglis.
Mr Inglis, who was caught speeding at 99km/h in an 80km/h zone while driving with a blood-alcohol level of .085 in October last year, was not convicted on Monday when he was sentenced to an 18-month community release order.
In sentencing Mr Inglis, Chief Magistrate Graeme Henson acknowledged the footballer's community work and the "punishment" of him being stripped of his Kangaroos captaincy.
Ms Saab brought up Mr Inglis's case as she argued her client should not be subject to a mandatory interlock order - which requires a breath-testing device to be connected to his car - because he is a mechanic and drives a variety of cars as part of his job.
Magistrate Philip Stewart dismissed the Inglis comparison, saying each case is decided on its subjective circumstances.
Magistrate Philip Stewart dismissed the Inglis comparison
He asked if Mr Kazzi is an Aboriginal former captain of the Kangaroos who has performed charity work. Ms Saab responded that he was not.
Mr Kazzi was fined $900, disqualified from driving for three months, and had a conviction recorded.
He must have an interlock device fitted on his car for 12 months when he is permitted to drive again.
Mr Kazzi has appealed to the District Court, arguing the penalty is too severe.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...captain-of-the-kangaroos-20190115-p50rhz.html
