Baby bump helps Emma Kate Wass avoid jail for string of driving offences and servo run-off

A former meth addict, who quit drugs after falling pregnant, has avoided jail after pulling a runner from a petrol station and engaging in a high speed chase with police.

A meth addict, who has quit drugs since falling pregnant, has narrowly escaped spending time behind bars for her repeated driving offences, a court has heard.

Emma Kate Wass, 26, left a Glenburnie service station high and dry after she fled without paying for her fuel and blitzed past police with a defective car four months after being handed a suspended sentence for driving offences.

Wass could not explain her service station run-off on March 18, 2022, as she had the money to pay, a court heard.

Wass’ lawyer Yanji Robson-McInerney told the Mount Gambier Magistrates Court on Thursday that her client’s actions were prompted by the death of her brother-in-law.

Ms Robson-McInerney said her brother-in-law, who had died in a fatal car crash on December 23, 2021, had several items in storage that needed to be removed from a Millicent property.

Emma Kate Wass has avoided jail with concerns raised over the 34-week pregnant woman being imprisoned. Picture: Supplied Facebook

“People were going to throw these items which is no doubt quite distressing for Ms Wass’ partner,” she said.

The court heard on March 18, Wass had filled up a Holden Sedan with $109 worth of fuel but could not explain why she did not pay.

“She actually had the money at the time to pay for the petrol but she just wasn't thinking clearly,” Ms Robson-McInerney said.

Several weeks later police spotted Wass speeding along the Princes Highway at Tantanoola in an uninsured vehicle with false number plates.

On April 29 Wass borrowed a Holden ute from a friend, to move more of her deceased brother-in-law’s things — but failed to stop after she blew past police at 145 km/h.

When police caught up with Wass, just under five kilometres away — she was travelling just 55km/h, due to mechanical failure and continued to drive for 1.5 kilometres while smoke and flames billowed out of the vehicle, the court heard.

Wass had pleaded guilty to a string of offences including failure to stop for police, making off without payment, driving while disqualified, driving an uninsured vehicle and driving with methamphetamine in her oral fluid.

Wass has now faced three separate drug driving charges in five years and it is the fourth time she has been caught driving while disqualified.

Magistrate Koula Kossiavelous slammed Wass for her horrid driving history and reckless behaviour.

“There is no excuse,” Ms Kossiavelous said.

“Driving a car that’s got mechanical failure. She didn’t know that it was unregistered, uninsured, it has incorrect number plates and then she’s also drug driving.

“From the DCS (Department of Correctional Services) report that I have, she’s tested positive (to methamphetamine), as recently as September 27, 2022.”

With a six-month suspended sentence hanging over the woman’s head, Ms Kossiavelous said she wanted to avoid jailing Wass, who was now “heavily pregnant”.

The woman was sentenced to two months and 24 days of imprisonment, which was ordered to be served on home detention.