Hard time for traffic crimes

A TOWNSVILLE woman who crashed twice while under the influence of drugs and alcohol has had her licence disqualified for six years and will spend the next two months in jail.

Retail worker Zoe Jade Brown, 29, had a “terrible traffic history” before she made it worse with two shocking driving incidents over the past year, a Townsville Magistrates Court has been told.

Police prosecutor Emily Olditch said on November 15, 2021, police officers were called to a “hit-and-run” traffic crash on Boundary St, Railway Estate at 8.50pm.

Brown left the scene and when police visited her Railway Estate unit she said the man was “angry and yelling at her and she was frightened of him”.

Ms Olditch said Brown was smelling of alcohol and slurring her speech, and told police she had a glass-and-a-half of wine before she left, and another after returning home.

Checks revealed her licence was disqualified and her blood alcohol content was 0.149.

In another crash on May 29, 2022 where Brown had collided with a parked car on Queen St, Hermit Park.

She told police she “momentarily veered” because she was tired from the long hours in her job at Skechers Castletown, but had not worked in almost 24 hours.

Brown didn’t know the right time and date and appeared “very disoriented when speaking to police, (and) she dozed off momentarily”, Ms Olditch said.

Five drugs were found in her system, including a prescribed opiate, and “three different synthetic designer benzodiazepines drugs … all of which aren’t lawfully available in Australia”.

Brown pleaded guilty on Tuesday to driving without due care and attention, driving under the influence of drugs, driving while drunk, driving with a disqualified licence, and driving without a licence.

The court heard Brown had faced charges of driving under the influence, not having proper control of the vehicle, and driving while disqualified.

Ms Olditch said jail time was necessary because Brown was on bail and had a disqualified licence at the time of the last crash.

Defence lawyer Tim Fedorowytsch said his client had “very bad” drug and alcohol addictions, for which she had sought help from support services.

He said Brown was recently hospitalised due to pancreas issues from prolonged alcohol abuse.

Mr Fedorowytsch urged the magistrate to wholly suspend any jail sentence so that his client could continue her rehabilitation.

Magistrate Viviana Keegan said Brown had a “terrible traffic history” where alcohol addiction was an underlying factor behind three drink driving offences in the past five years.

Brown was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, with convictions recorded, and a six year licence disqualification.

She will be released on parole on January 3, 2023.