Leesa Mary Hollingworth banned from driving for two years

A Central Queensland mum has paid a hefty price for disobeying a police notice telling her not to drive.

Leesa Mary Hollingworth paid a hefty price for her drink driving and unlicensed driving offences when she faced Biloela Magistrates Court.

A Central Queensland mum has paid a hefty price after her .050 drink driving reading spiralled into something much worse.

Leesa Mary Hollingworth, 44, pleaded guilty in Biloela Magistrates Court on March 8 to drink driving and unlicensed driving.

Police prosecutor Kelvin Boyd said on January 8 at 3.10pm, highway patrol police were doing random breath testing on Hampton Drive in Tannum Sands when they intercepted Hollingworth driving a Hyundai.

Mr Boyd said Hollingworth had two passengers in the vehicle.

The prosecutor said Hollingworth returned a blood alcohol reading of .050.

The court heard that because of the drink driving offence, Hollingworth’s driver’s licence was suspended under the Transport Operations Act.

But later that day she made the fateful decision to drive.

Mr Boyd said at 6.20pm, police were patrolling the Dawson Highway when they saw Hollingworth driving the Hyundai.

“Police recognised (Hollingworth) from the interactions earlier that day,” Mr Boyd said.

Mr Boyd said when police questioned Hollingworth she said she knew she shouldn’t have been driving, having earlier been given a suspension form.

The court heard that a friend had picked Hollingworth up after the initial incident but because Hollingworth “had nowhere to stay, she decided to drive home.”

The court heard Hollingworth had no previous history of this sort.

Mr Boyd explained that the minimum licence disqualification for the drink driving offence was one month, but for this sort of unlicensed driving offence it was two years.

Ms Beckinsale said: “I can imagine - I can’t imagine actually what it will be like for you to not have your licence for that (disqualification) time.”

Ms Beckinsale fined Hollingworth $550 and disqualified her from driving for two years and one month.