Mum of three caught swapping number plates after car crash
The 24-year-old faced Gympie Magistrates Court after swapping the number plates of a car involved in a multi-vehicle crash
Gympie
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A stay-at-home mother of three, with another child on the way, was involved in a multi-vehicle crash in Gympie late last year before swapping the number plates of the car she was a passenger in.
After 1:10am on November 20, 2020, Maddison Paige Brown, 24, was seen changing the number plates of the car before walking off into a nearby property when police arrived.
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Police caught up with Brown, who originally claimed she wasn't involved in the crash and was walking home when she came upon it, the court heard.
Police prosecutor Michael Phillips said the officers turned their backs for a second and Brown took off.
"Police located the defendant in a neighbouring street, the defendant was detained and searched," Sergeant Phillips said.
"She was holding a black duffel bag ... inside the bag was a flip knife."
A registration plate registered to Brown's name was also located inside the bag that she had removed earlier from the wrecked car.
"The defendant had full knowledge the registration plate she was attaching to the crash vehicle was not intended for that vehicle," Sgt Phillips said.
After paramedics assessed Brown's visible bruises on her face and eye area, she admitted to being a rear passenger in the car and said she hit her head on the passenger's seat when the cars collided.
Sgt Phillips said Brown was not wearing a seatbelt and declined to comment further on the driver of the vehicle.
Brown told the court she "couldn't remember anything" from the night of the incident.
"I was knocked unconscious, I don't even remember getting into a car," she said.
Brown pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court on Monday to possessing a knife and changing the number plates.
She was fined $400 and a conviction was recorded.
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