Police find LOUD events boss Marianne Edmonds four times over and asleep at intersection

The director of a leading Brisbane events company has been fined thousands for a high range drink drive incident she slept through.

The director of a prominent Brisbane events company sporting a multimillion-dollar turnover was found asleep behind the wheel in the middle of a busy road with an “extremely high” blood alcohol reading, a court has heard.

Appearing at Cleveland Magistrates Court yesterday director, of Ascot-based LOUD events Marianne Elizabeth Edmonds, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of driving while under the influence of liquor.

The court heard tests confirmed Ascot woman Edmonds had a blood-alcohol level of 0.211 per cent – more than four times the legal limit – when she was found by police on November 8.

Slumped behind the wheel, the court heard officers observed her asleep while stationary in the middle of Cleveland Redland Bay Rd at an intersection in Thornlands at around 1.45pm.

With a two-page traffic history which excluded drink driving to her name, a police prosecutor told the court other drivers had to manoeuvre around Edmonds’ vehicle.

Defence solicitor Lejla Pehlivanovic said Edmonds’ successful events company had a pre-pandemic turnover of $4 million dollars and catered to councils and brands such as Toyota and Shell.

Having had to let go eight staff and battling a precipitous downturn in her business, Ms Pehlivanovic said her client had been under significant stress at the time of the offence.

Edmonds told the court she had drunk significantly the night before while visiting a friend and had consumed a glass of champagne on the morning of November 8 before driving.

The defence said the business owner had since completed the Queensland Traffic Offenders Program and regularly seeks counselling for her mental health.

Having informed the court 254 people have already died on Queensland roads this year, Magistrate Deborah Vasta urged Edmonds to imagine what it would feel like were her daughter to be killed by a drunk driver.

“Covid has wiped out many people … it is just money,” Magistrate Vasta said.

“Taking care of your mental health is much more important”.

Edmonds was fined $3000 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.