Jail for drink-drive crash

A JUDGE has described the alcohol reading of a woman who caused a crash in Launceston’s CBD last month as “wickedly high” saying she was a danger to the public and herself.

Renita Ann Bingley, 47, pleaded guilty to drink-driving and family violence charges in the Launceston Magistrates Court on Monday and was sentenced on Wednesday.

Bingley crashed her gold BMW X5 into a stationary car at a set of traffic lights about 7pm on July 14.

Police arrested her at the scene and an alcohol test returned a reading of 0.354 – seven times the legal alcohol limit – and described her as having red and glazed eyes and slurring her speech.

Magistrate Simon Brown said it was a “very bad example of offending under the road safety act”.

“You presented an actual, real and demonstrative danger to anyone near the road and yourself on that occasion,” he said.

Bingley was intercepted by police while driving more than five times the legal alcohol limit in May after being reported by a member of the public.

Her licence was disqualified after a breath test returned a reading of 0.272.

Defence lawyer Grant Tucker said Ms Bingley had post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety stemming from past trauma.

He said she had “wrestled with alcohol addiction”, but “fell off the wagon” when her business went into administration and she could not access her psychologists and therapists due to COVID-19.

Magistrate Brown said Bingley’s drink-driving record was “repeated” and “bad” also having been disqualified from driving in 2013 after blowing 0.385 – almost eight times the legal limit.

“General deterrence and personal deterrence are of real significance.

“Imprisonment is necessary and the only reasonable response I can make to this offending to deter you and others.”

Magistrate Brown sentenced Bingley to six months’ imprisonment backdated to July 14 with four months suspended for 18 months and disqualified her from driving for four years and three months.

patrick.gee@news.com.au