Hefty fine for drunk driver who didn’t stop

A TOOWOOMBA woman who failed to stop driving on police direction because she was under the influence of alcohol at the time has copped a fine of almost $7000.

A police patrol on Ruthven St about 6.20pm on May 18, had pulled in behind the car driven by Amanda Jade Duffy as she turned into the Rumours International car park.

Despite police activating lights and siren directing her to pull over, she had done a Uturn and sped back onto Ruthven St, police prosecutor Bettina Trenear told Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

In keeping with police policy, the officers did not pursue the car but checks found the vehicle to be a hire car which Duffy had rented from May 8 to 18, she said.

The police attended the rental firm where CCTV footage had recorded Duffy driving into the yard to drop off the car shortly after speeding away from police, Ms Trenear said.

The 38-year-old attended the police station for a record of interview in which she made admissions to driving, the court heard.

The self represented Duffy pleaded guilty to “evasion offence - Type 1 vehicle related offence”.

“I didn’t stop because I was under the influence of alcohol,” she told the court.

Duffy told the court her marriage had broken down about four weeks prior to the offence.

Magistrate Howard Osborne noted Duffy had already been dealt with by the court for the drink-driving offence and had been disqualified from driving for one year.

For the evasion offence, Mr Osborne fined her the mandatory penalty of $6892.50 and disqualified her from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years to commence after she has served out the 12month disqualification period.