Penneshaw Pub boss was drunk the night of fatal crash, court told

Shearer and regular pub patron Anthony “Affy” Read had a blood-alcohol level of 0.292 when he crashed into a tree and died minutes after leaving the Penneshaw Hotel in June 2013.

Anthony ‘Affy’ Read, of American River, who died in a crash after he was been drinking at the Penneshaw Pub.

Penneshaw Pub Pty Ltd and former bar manager Richard Mark Purvis today faced the Christies Beach Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to seven counts of selling or supplying liquor to an intoxicated person.

The bartender on duty the night of Mr Read’s death, Dean Ian Carey, today told the court Purvis, the hotel’s designated responsible person for the service of alcohol, would drink about two bottles of wine per shift.

“There was not a day that went by when that wine was not poured into that glass and there is not a person in Penneshaw who did not know about it,” he said.

The court had earlier heard Mr Read, 55, had consumed 22 drinks and was served a sixpack of rum cans before leaving the hotel following a nine-hour binge.

Carey, 34, said he saw Purvis clink glasses with Mr Read in celebration the night of the accident.

He said Purvis had also tried to persuade him to sign a statement to police, saying the manager did not consume any alcohol on the night of the crash.

“The responsible part of my job was ignored — a man died from the wrong actions of bar staff where we should have kicked him off the tap hours earlier,” Carey said

“I was in a small town where jobs are few and far between, you just learn to shut your mouth.”

Carey was earlier fined $700 after pleading guilty to three counts of selling or supplying liquor on a licensed premise to an intoxicated person.

Outside court, Purvis said he had been drinking lime and soda — not wine — on the night of Mr Read’s death but admitted he should have stopped serving him much earlier.

“Yes he was intoxicated absolutely,” he said.

“All the guys around town are friends with each other and really good friends, they have grown up together all their lives.

“They look after each other and that was an occasion where we thought well, he has got three mates with him, three of the best mates you could have, he is leaving the next day, we knew he was on the 10.30am ferry in the morning, we knew he was getting his car fixed by Luke up the road, he had no reason to drive.”

Purvis warned other rural pubs to be much more careful and compliant with the responsible service of alcohol because the consequences could be so damaging.

“You have to be really on the ball and your toes in this game now. I don’t think the AHA (Australian Hotels Association) has got it right with their responsible person badge online with multiple choice questions to get your badge anymore — this is a serious thing,” he said.

But Purvis said there was little pubs could do to stop patrons from choosing to drive if they were determined to do it.

“We have had customers in the past few weeks who have had five or six beers and a couple of scotches and said we are not driving anyway and then they go and drive,” he said.

“It is not our responsibility if they leave that pub and decide to drive.

“If we have the opportunity to take their car keys off them, fine. If we decide not too, we have no power.”

Purvis called for better public transport to get patrons home and a bigger police presence in country towns.

Christies Beach Magistrate Koula Kossiavelos will sentence Purvis at a later date.

Source: The Advertiser, Ken McGregor, June 10^th 2015