Daniel Johns ordered to complete community service over drunk driving incident
Daniel Johns has narrowly avoided jail time with a 10-month intensive corrections order to be served in the community over a high-range drink-driving car crash.
The former Silverchair frontman has also been disqualified from driving for seven months and ordered to fit an alcohol-reading interlock device to his car for 24 months when he gets his driver's licence back.
In March this year, Johns was charged with high-range drink driving after a head-on crash at North Arm Cove, north of Newcastle.
When tested, he returned a blood alcohol reading three times the legal limit.
The police report states that Johns was heading north when his SUV crossed onto the wrong side of the Pacific Highway and collided with a light commercial truck travelling in the opposite direction.
Both vehicles ended up on a nearby nature strip, with the 51-year-old driver of the van and his 55-year-old female passenger being treated at the scene by paramedics.
Johns entered rehabilitation of his own will for four weeks after the crash and the court was told he had not touched alcohol since.
In his sentencing submission, defence lawyer Bryan Wrench said his client suffered from complex mental health issues from his time as a child musical star.
"He was a very successful musician. He was 14 when that came to him in an unwanted fashion and that came with attacks and vitriol," Mr Wrench said.
"He is a recluse, his house is his only safe place."
These defence submissions are what helped Johns avoid time behind bars, as Magistrate Ian Cheetham said Johns was best served to continue with psychiatric treatment in the community.
"There is no doubt a custodial sentence will not achieve an appropriate result for him or the community," Magistrate Cheetham said.
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