Peter Cunningham, 40, of Koo Wee Rup, appeared in Stawell Magistrates' Court via videolink on Tuesday, January 11, where he pleaded guilty to driving without a license and drink driving.

A police prosecutor said on Sunday, July 25, 2021, Cunningham was driving a blue ute towing a horse float along Stawell-Warracknabeal Road, Glenorchy.

At 2.46pm, a police officer detected Cunningham's speed to be 111km/h in a 100km/h zone.

When confronted by police, Cunningham was unable to produce a license and admitted he had never held a full license.

A preliminary breath test was positive and Cunningham travelled to the Stawell police station for a second test.

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At 3.25pm, Cunningham's second test recorded a blood alcohol concentration above 0.05%.

The prosecution said in an interview with police, Cunningham said he drank "just beer from normal stubbies" half an hour before driving and had not realised he was speeding.

"If you don't speed, you don't get pulled over," Cunningham told police during the interview.

Since arriving in Australia from New Zealand in 2015, Cunningham had only ever possessed a New South Wales Learner's Permit which expired in 2016.

Cunningham's lawyer, Ashley Daly, said that whilst her client acknowledged there was no justification for his actions, it was a "split second" and "spontaneous" decision.

Ms Daly said Cunningham, a horse trainer by trade, had felt pressured to drive for business reasons, to ensure horses were at the right location the following day.

The defence counsel contended that Cunningham had lost respect within the horse racing community, and that further punishment was not warranted.

Magistrate Michael McNamara fined Cunningham $1000 and disqualified him from driving for six months.

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