It was a moment when Albury magistrate Tony Murray realised he might not have seen it all.
He looked up at the police prosecutor, smiled then remarked incredulously at what he had just read.
It’s not uncommon for defendants facing traffic charges to already be on hefty licence bans.
That is especially where people have been declared a habitual traffic offender – an extra five years off the road can result from someone racking up their third NSW traffic conviction in five years.
But Peter Howorth’s record was unique.
An Albury police check with their colleagues in Wodonga revealed the North Albury man was indeed banned from holding a licence.
For 99 years.
That meant he was off the road until at least September 16, 2114.
By that time Howorth would be 123.
Sergeant Andrew Coombs said the ban, imposed when Howorth lived at Donald, was indeed correct.
He told Mr Murray in Albury Local Court that he understood Howorth could have that ban reduced – by how much it was not known – if he completed a drink-driver education program in Victoria.
Howorth did not appear in court so Mr Murray heard the matter ex parte, convicting Howorth, fining him $700 and imposing a two-year disqualification.
The court was told police were driving west along Borella Road in East Albury on October 5 when they saw Howorth’s car.
They did a u-turn and followed Howorth’s Nissan Pulsar until he turned right into Mungabareena Road.
Howorth was asked to pull over, then police carried out a preliminary breath test.
While this was negative, it was what happened next that surprised them.
A Wodonga officer told them that Howorth had been handed a 99-year suspension in the Bendigo Magistrate’s Court on July 30.
“The accused denied having any knowledge of his licence suspension,” police said.
It is not known what led to Howorth’s Victorian ban.
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