By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Racists forced an unlicensed Dandenong man to drink-drive his way out of Geelong, a court has heard.
Eric Kanyi fled a night out in the city after other revellers “hated me because of my colour“, he told Dandenong Magistrates Court.
“They did a lot of stuff,“ said Kanyi, of African appearance.
“I don’t know the streets of Geelong. I don’t know anyone and my friend was too dizzy (to drive).”
Kanyi’s night ended when police saw him climbing out of the driver’s seat and into the back of the car after after pulling him over on 5 August, the court head.
Kanyi, who had never held a licence, blew .167.
He claimed his passenger was too sick to drive.
Police told the court the Dandenong man had been drinking with a friend since morning before consuming up to five stubbies at a Geelong nightclub that night.
Kanyi had been disqualified from driving in 2015 for a high-reading drink-driving conviction.
He told the court he drank only occasionally since recently becoming a father and never drove.
The Geelong weekend was the exception, Kanyi said.
Magistrate Pauline Spencer told him his excuses would be no comfort if he killed someone while drink-driving.
“You’re a father now and you’re still driving at .167,“ she said.
“You say you don’t drink regularly but twice you’ve come to court at such a high level you could have killed someone.
“You need to think things through. When you drink, you seem to make silly decisions.”
Ms Spencer put Kanyi on a six-month community corrections order including 50 hours of unpaid work and alcohol counselling.
He was disqualified from driving for 32 months and ordered to attend a road trauma awareness course.
