Daniel Johns has been handed a community-based 10-month intensive corrections order for drink driving. Johns was charged with high range drink driving after being involved in an accident at 10.30pm on Wednesday, 23rd March. Johns’ blood alcohol reading was triple the legal limit at the time of the crash. The former Silverchair front person pleaded guilty to the charge earlier this year.
Johns’ license has also been disqualified for seven months. At the completion of the initial disqualification, Johns will have to install an alcohol interlock device on his vehicle, which must remain in place for a period of 24 months.
Johns Will Carry Out His Sentence in the Community
The Loop: Daniel Johns avoids jail, cargo ship crew rescued, Boris Johnson faces leadership questions, banks pass on rate rise https://t.co/1nbHaWYOdJ
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Johns’ sentencing took place at the Raymond Terrace Local Court. Police revealed that Johns had been heading north in an SUV when he veered onto the wrong side of the road and collided with a light commercial vehicle. The driver and passenger of the vehicle were treated by medical staff at the scene, but no one was seriously injured.
As the Sydney Morning Herald reports, Magistrate Ian Cheetham explained why Johns was given a community-based sentence, rather than a prison sentence. “There is no doubt a custodial sentence will not achieve an appropriate result for him or the community,” said Cheetham.
During the hearing, Johns’ lawyer, Bryan Wench, argued that Johns had been suffering from panic attacks and had been self-medicating with alcohol. Wench explained that Johns suffers from complex mental health issues stemming from his time as a teenage celebrity.
“His fame came to him in an unwanted fashion and fame came with attacks and vitriol, including defacing and graffitiing his mother’s fence,” Wench said, as per the ABC. Wench, who has previously represented singer Shannon Noll and NRL player Sam Burgess, continued: “[Johns] was pursued by a weird stalker, there was a defamation case, and he was accused of going to a brothel, which was totally untrue.”
Johns voluntarily checked himself into rehab directly after the accident. At the time, he wrote on social media, “I’ve been self-medicating with alcohol to deal with my PTSD, anxiety and depression. I know this is not sustainable or healthy.”
Wench claimed Johns is now sober and in a better place. “He is the real Daniel Johns, the Daniel Johns they love and who they have grown up to love,” the lawyer said.
Daniel Johns – ‘Reclaim Your Heart’
Johns released his second full-length solo record, FutureNever in April. The record, which includes guest appearances from Peking Duk and What So Not, debuted at number one on the ARIA charts. Johns has no intention of touring the album.
Further Reading
Silverchair’s Daniel Johns Pleads Guilty To High-Range Drink Driving
Daniel Johns Launches The Philanthrophic ‘FutureNeverFund’
Daniel Johns Opens Up About Health Struggles Around The Time Of Silverchair’s ‘Diorama’
