Lawyer crashes car after smoking cannabis
A Melbourne lawyer could be banned from practicing law after admitting multiple drug and driving offenses, including smoking cannabis before crashing her car on the way to the local library.
Emad Faud Khraim, 28, appeared at Ringwood Magistrates’ Court on Friday following two traffic incidents, one of which involved hitting another driver after smoking cannabis and the other of being found with various drugs in a car.
The court heard that at around 12.43am on August 9, police found a black Mercedes parked across a driveway in Malvern. When the car moved about five meters to clear the road, police intercepted the driver and found Khraim in the driver’s seat with a passenger next to him.
Khraim’s driver’s license had expired at the time and he surrendered his passport to verify his identity. The police detected a strong smell of marijuana and searched the vehicle.
They found 34 Valium tablets and eight oxycodone tablets in the center console and three pots of marijuana in the glove compartment.
Khraim made full admissions at the scene, and when asked why his driver’s license had expired, he told police he believed his mother had paid to renew it. He did it later.
Days later on August 14, the court heard Khraim was driving a black Mercedes sedan along Springvale Road in Doncaster East when he attempted to make an illegal U-turn on a solid white line and collided with a white Volkswagen sedan at around 3pm. He had a valid driver’s license at the time.
As a precaution, both drivers were taken to hospital where Khraim tested positive for marijuana.
He told police he was going to the library about 45 minutes after smoking marijuana.
The court heard Khraim, a practicing lawyer, also had previous convictions for unrelated matters and had a driving history.
Defense lawyer Kate Ballard argued her client should receive a fine without a conviction because he faced the possibility of disciplinary action from the Legal Services Board, which was briefed on the case.
Ballard said his client is taking proactive steps to treat his problems and wants to continue working as a lawyer. Suspending his license for more than 12 months and convicting him could affect that, Ballard said.
“Mr. Khraim is a practicing lawyer… he deeply regrets his conduct. People make mistakes, of course, but he is well aware that as a lawyer he must always hold himself to the highest standards, and he has failed to do so,” Ballard said.
“He is deeply concerned that he will lose the career he has worked so hard for.”
Ballard said his client had previously been convicted on unrelated matters, but Khraim was supported in court by his mother and a family friend.
He pleaded guilty to five charges, including careless driving.
Judge Caroline Boult accepted Khraim was remorseful, took the matter seriously and sought treatment, but it continued.
He said driving with cannabis in your system puts other road users at risk.
Boult found Khraim guilty and ordered him to pay a $1,500 fine. His license was also revoked and he was disqualified for 12 months.
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