An Emmaville father-of-two has been sentenced to 18-months jail.
AN EMMAVILLE father-of-two has been sentenced to 18-months jail after he caused an accident while driving under the influence and left his two injured children at the scene.
Thirty-nine-year-old Kristopher Dale Bodsworth faced Inverell Court yesterday and was sentenced to 18-months imprisonment for the charge of driving while disqualified, and nine months imprisonment for the charge of driving under the influence.
Emergency services attended the scene of the single-vehicle accident in Waratah Ave just before 7pm on Wednesday, finding a Toyota van that had hit a power pole.
The accident had severed the pole about 1.5m from the ground, causing an electricity failure throughout Inverell for over an hour.
The driver was nowhere to be seen, although police found a 15-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl near the scene of the accident suffering concussion, cuts and abrasions.
Bodsworth was arrested at his Inverell home on Thursday morning and taken to Inverell Police Station where he was charged with a number of offences.
Inverell Inspector Rowan O’Brien said alcohol and excessive speed were believed to be contributing factors.
Bodsworth’s sentences will run concurrently and he will be eligible for parole in 13 months.