Jail after a drug binge

A MOTHER of two, who was seven months pregnant, was given a wake-up call when one of her children ingested ice while she was on a drug bender.

The woman, 24, who cannot be named for legal reasons, racked up 21 charges, during the bender.

The Townsville Magistrates Court heard the woman was driving along Dalrymple Road at 12.22am on February 10 last year when she ran a red traffic light while speeding to avoid police.

A taxi driver narrowly missed colliding with the woman’s vehicle.

Police prosecutor Tim Madsen said at 2.55pm on May 15 the woman was spotted by police speeding in Gulliver.

“She swerves on the incorrect side of the road on Mcdonald Street, overtaking vehicles and narrowly avoids a head on collision with traffic travelling in the opposite direction,” he said.

“Then on Mooney Street she crosses on to the incorrect side of the road, she is observed cutting corners and travels across designated bicycle and bus lanes and accelerates again on the incorrect side of the road.”

Mr Madsen said that, at the time of the second police chase, the woman had one of her children in the back seat of the car and was at large from the first police evasion.

The court heard the woman also stole a pram worth $999, a $300 pair of polaroid sunglasses and $922 worth of fragrances on three separate occasions.

The woman pleaded guilty to 21 charges including evasion, endangering children by exposure and dangerous operation of a vehicle.

Defence barrister for the woman Justin Greggery said his client was due to give birth to her third child in 60 days and had been using drugs at the time of her offending. “It was a reversion to her teenage years when she went back on the ice,” he said.

“It was a traumatic event in December last year when her child ingested that drug and went to hospital.”

Magistrate Ross Mack told the woman she had put other road users at risk which “was not fair”.

The woman was sentenced to 15 months in jail to serve 50 days and disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for two years.

A parole release date was set at November 14 this year.