Bailey Ashley-Ott: Mum’s unlicensed drive to get son to football game

A woman who drove without a licence to get her son to a football game said she felt it was an “emergency” as he had no other means of getting there, a court has heard.

A mum-of-four has been sentenced in a Beenleigh court for driving without a licence to get her son to a football game.

Bailey Sian Rennie Ashley-Ott, 41, appeared in Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Monday, July 25, where she pleaded guilty to one charge of driving without a licence while disqualified by a court order.

The court heard the Upper Mt Gravatt mum drove a car at Daisy Hill on February 19 this year while she was not the holder of a driver’s licence and was on parole.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Donna Kay said Ashley-Ott had a “serious” traffic history, having previously received sentences of imprisonment for offences including driving while a relevant drug was present.

Defence solicitor Eleanor Meany told the court her client, who was originally from New Zealand but moved to Australia in 2010, completed high school and began studying a Bachelor of Criminology.

Ms Meany said Ashley-Ott’s younger brother, who she “essentially raised”, was tragically murdered some years ago, which sent her down a spiral of drug use.

The court heard she had been “clean” for at least a year.

With respect to the offence before the court on Monday, Ms Meany said Ashley-Ott’s son had a regional football game he had no way of getting to.

“And ultimately my client felt that it was an emergency,” Ms Meany said.

Magistrate Michael O‘Driscoll told Ashley-Ott he was not impressed with her conduct, also noting her criminal and traffic histories were “not good”, but he accepted she had pleaded guilty.

The woman was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for two years, and was disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years.

“You are not welcome on our roads until you get a licence …,” Mr O’Driscoll told Ashley-Ott.