Liza Knight pleads guilty to drink driving, using a phone while driving

A drink driver more than twice the limit had a carton of beer in the passenger seat and was trying to change a song on her phone, swerving across the road, metres away from a police RBT.

A drink driver that had an open carton of beer strapped in the passenger’s seat was on her phone, swerving across the road, in full view of police conducting roadside breath testing, a court was told.

Liza Knight appeared in Toowoomba Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to using a mobile phone while behind the wheel, and driving while over the middle alcohol limit.

The court was told at 8.20pm on the New England Highway at Highfields, police saw a silver Ford Fiesta swerving as it approached them, mounting the gutter twice and onto the wrong side of the road before pulling up 20m before the roadside breath testing area.

Police prosecutor Rohan Brewster-Webb said the 40-year-old blew 0.119, and told police she was trying to change the music on her phone which was why she was swerving.

The court was told Knight said to police she had six full strength beers in Toowoomba before getting in the car to drive home.

Knight’s solicitor Michael McElhinney said his client was cooperative to the point of admitting she was on her phone when stopped by police.

Magistrate Graham Lee convicted Knight, fined her $1500, and disqualified her for three months.

Originally published as Liza Knight pleads guilty to drink driving, using a phone while driving