Designated Driver's Night Ends in Court
A Townsville rugby league player's role as the designated driver took a disastrous turn when he was discovered unconscious behind the wheel, surrounded by empty alcohol cans, after crashing his vehicle on the way home from his team's end-of-year celebrations.
Benjamin Joseph Lui, 35, faced the Townsville Magistrates Court on Wednesday, November 10, 2025, to answer for his actions on the morning of September 14.
The Incident and Police Discovery
According to police prosecutor Ash Raj, officers were called to a traffic crash in West End around 6am. Upon arrival, they found a car that had mounted the kerb and collided with a parked truck.
Inside, Lui was unconscious in the driver's seat, with several empty alcohol cans scattered around him. After being woken by police, he submitted to a breath test which returned a blood-alcohol reading of 0.132 per cent – more than two and a half times the legal limit.
Mr Raj told the court that Lui admitted to consuming six cans of Canadian Club and six cans of Great Northern starting from about 11pm the previous night.
"He stated that he had no reason for driving and that he just wanted to get home for work that day, but he should have just got a cab," Mr Raj said.
Court Hearing and Sentencing
Defence lawyer Carly Hoyer from Legal Aid Queensland explained that Lui had initially been the designated driver for the celebration but "got carried away with encouragement and celebrations and had a few too many drinks."
The court heard that Lui works on the railway and is a single father to three children. He told police the crash occurred when he tried to adjust his seat and accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake, causing him to lose control.
Magistrate Susan Warrington noted the incident appeared to be out of character for Lui, acknowledging he had made "a poor decision to get behind the wheel of the car" after celebrating with his football team.
Lui pleaded guilty to driving over the middle alcohol limit and driving without due care and attention. He was fined $800 and disqualified from driving for five months.
