Jade Lynette Martin faces jail time after a prolific drug driving spree

A Kingston mother is facing prison time after getting behind the wheel just over a month after she was handed down a suspended sentence for driving while on meth.

Jade Lynette Martin pleaded guilty in the Mount Gambier Magistrate Court on Thursday. Picture: Tait Schmaal

A Kingston mother is facing jail time after reoffending just over a month after she was handed down a suspended sentence for drug driving.

Jade Lynette Martin, 38, pleaded guilty in the Mount Gambier Magistrate Court on Thursday to a string of charges from late 2019 to early 2020.

She admitted to two counts of driving on methamphetamine, including one while disqualified and breaching a suspended sentence, plus possession of meth and three counts of possessing an ice pipe.

A police prosecutor said the most recent drug driving offence occurred on April 18, 2020, little more than a month after Martin was disqualified from driving and given the suspended sentence on March 13.

Jade Lynette Martin pleaded guilty in the Mount Gambier Magistrate Court on Thursday. Picture: File

At 1.30pm Martin was spotted driving on the Duke Highway at Pine Hill, pulled over and moved into the back seat of the vehicle, the court heard.

The prosecutor said there was no good reason to excuse the offending citing Martin had already received leniency from the court.

“It’s a blatant breach,” the police prosecutor said.

“She said she knew her license was disqualified.”

Martin’s defence lawyer Brittany Shelton described her client’s actions between February 2019 and April 2020 as a “prolific offending spree” but said she was now getting her life back on track, had a mental health plan and was in contact with her children.

Magistrate Maria Panagiotidis said jail time was a real possibility for Martin, who had already “had the benefit of a suspended sentence and that seemingly meant nothing”.

She recorded convictions, fined Martin $1500 for each drug driving offence and disqualified her from driving for the next three years but ordered pre-sentencing and home detention reports prior to sentencing for the breached bond.

“You’ve been through what your council rightly describes as a prolific spree of offending,” Magistrate Panagiotidis said.

“You are disqualified and from today there are two further orders.

“You know how serious driving disqualified is because you are seriously looking at going to jail.

“You’ve obviously made a mess of things and you’re getting out of that now so don’t make the mistake again.”

Martin was also ordered to pay impounding, clamping and court fees in excess of $5000.

She will return to court in April.