OFF HER TROLLEY
Driving on four bottles of vodka
A FORMER Gold Coast air hostess will do community work for drinking “four large bottles of vodka” and driving six times over the blood-alcohol limit. Simone Lynette Stark, 46, pleaded guilty in the Southport Magistrates Court yesterday to driving to a Paradise Point medical centre with a blood-alcohol reading of 0.308 per cent. The legal limit is 0.05.
A FORMER Gold Coast air hostess will do community work for drinking “four large bottles of vodka” and driving six times over the blood-alcohol limit.
Simone Lynette Stark, 46, pleaded guilty in the Southport Magistrates Court yesterday to driving to a Paradise Point medical centre with a blood-alcohol reading of 0.308 per cent. The legal limit is 0.05.
It was the 46-year-old’s second high-range drink driving recording in five years. In 2013 she blew 0.264, more than five times the legal limit.
Police said they received a call from the medical centre about noon on May 2. Stark had asked the clinic for a blood test and tried to get back in her car.
The court heard Stark told police she had consumed “four large bottles of vodka” at the Runaway Bay Leagues Club – about 250m from the police station.
Defence lawyer Joe Wicking, of Howden Saggers Lawyers, told the court Stark was “extremely glad she didn’t hurt anybody”.
He said Stark had been diagnosed with depression and anxiety and had been sober for two years before briefly “falling off the wagon”.
Mr Wicking said Stark worked as an air hostess for Ansett and Virgin before falling on tough times after a bridal industry business she was involved in went bankrupt. He said Stark was on a disability pension.
Mr Wicking submitted Stark should receive a substantial fine.
Magistrate Mark Howden said Stark would struggle to pay a fine and the extremely high reading required a greater punishment.
“The court rarely sees readings over 0.3,” Mr Howden said. “I’m obliged to show a very strong message to her and the community. When police arrived they observed her trying to get back into the car.”
Stark tried to say she did not intend to drive, but Mr Howden said: “I would say you would not know what you were doing with a reading of 0.308. You need to understand this is a very serious offence.”
Stark was sentenced to 100 hours community service and her licence was disqualified for two years.