Central Qld woman Andrea Lorin Simpson sentenced for drink driving

A Central Queensland woman has lost her licence after she was busted drink driving twice in one day and assaulted a police officer.

Andrea Lorin Simpson.

A Central Queensland woman has lost her licence for four-and-a-half years after she was busted drink driving twice in one day.

Andrea Lorin Simpson, 37, pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on January 30 to two counts each of drink driving and driving without a driver’s licence and one count each of assaulting a police officer, possessing dangerous drugs and supplying dangerous drugs.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Sarah Rowe said Simpson was first caught driving with a blood-alcohol content reading of .113 on May 30, 2022 at 5.20pm.

Senior Constable Rowe said Simpson was intercepted because she was driving at high speed.

She said then only a few hours later Simpson was again caught driving with a BAC of .072 in Rockhampton at 9.05pm and that her driver’s licence had been suspended for the earlier drink driving offence.

“It shows a blatant disregard for the law and to members of the community driving while affected by alcohol,” she said.

She said Simpson was also caught driving while her driver’s licence was suspended on June 19, 2022.

The court heard Simpson had also been found in possession of 5.6g of marijuana and had assaulted a police officer by throwing a phone at him.

Defence lawyer Rebecca Harris said her client had separated from her husband in May 2020 and since then had struggled with her mental health.

“This isn’t the behaviour she normally displays,” Ms Harris said.

“This has been a stressful time for her and she unfortunately turned to some drug use, as well as alcohol use, which she instructs isn’t normally like her.”

She said her client’s drug use was not something that had continued and that it wasn’t her intention to hit the police officer with the phone.

Simpson was ordered to probation for six months, fined $1750 and disqualified from driving for four years and six months.

Traffic convictions were recorded, however, criminal convictions were not recorded for the single charges of assaulting a police officer, possessing dangerous drugs and supplying dangerous drugs.