Ann Helliwell pleads guilty to Brighton Esplanade crash
‘I was angry’: A Southern suburbs woman has pleaded guilty to a drunken Brighton Esplanade crash where she ploughed through the bollards.
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A 63-year-old Glengowrie woman who crashed into the bollards and a lamp post at Brighton Esplanade earlier this year had been “angry” and drinking wine since noon.
Ann Helliwell pleaded guilty to driving at more than three times the legal limit in court this week, crashing into bollards, a lamp post and a street sign.
Helliwell’s blood alcohol reading was 0.179 at the time of the crash at 3.30pm.
She told police she had drunk a bottle of white wine since noon and had driven after arguing with her husband of 40 years.
“I was angry so I thought I better go and calm down and so I went down to the Esplanade,” she said.
“I was in a driveway … and I didn’t put the car into drive it was still in reverse so I went through some bollards.”
Magistrate Rodney Oates fined Ms Helliwell $1100 and extended her loss of license to 12 months.