Officials in the Australian state of Queensland have suspended Foo Fighters
frontman Dave Grohl's driving privileges there for three months, after
he was convicted of driving a moped while drunk.
Grohl, 31, was sentenced Monday (Jan. 31)
at the Southport Magistrates
Court. In addition to the suspension, he was fined $400 Australian ($255
U.S.) for the Saturday incident, which occurred near the site of the Big
Day Out festival. The Foo Fighters performed that day at the concert.
"The magistrates have sliding scales for drunk drivers, and it depends
on the readings and whether the person has a previous record. But that's
normally the correct penalty," said Southport police Sgt. Jason Todman,
27, who prosecuted the case. "That's the law. They've got to be disqualified
for three months. If the reading was higher, they would be disqualified
for more than three months."
Had Grohl been unable to pay the fine, he would have had to serve 12 days
in jail.
Todman said Grohl was pulled over around 10 p.m. Saturday for a random
breath test, in accordance with Queensland law. The singer/guitarist, who
had been riding a moped near the Parklands Showgrounds concert site,
failed the test.
Police brought Grohl to the Southport Police Station where, officials
said, his blood-alcohol content reading was .095 percent — almost
twice the legal limit of .05 percent. His manager was contacted to confirm
his identity, then Grohl was released on bail.
The former Nirvana drummer pleaded guilty Monday to driving under the
influence of alcohol. He told officials he had consumed four bottles of beer
known as "stubbies," Todman said.
Bob Breuer, a local lawyer known for his experience with drunken driving
cases, represented Grohl. Breuer requested that Grohl's conviction go
unrecorded, because some countries prohibit entry after such offenses.
Todman said the court magistrate recorded the conviction.
Grohl was cooperative, Todman said, and the magistrate considered the
musician's record of charitable work when sentencing him.
After his court appearance, Grohl, whose band recently had a hit with
"Learn To Fly" (RealAudio
excerpt), signed autographs and posed for photos with fans outside
the courthouse.
A spokesperson for Grohl's publicity firm, Nasty Little Man, declined to
comment on the incident.
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