Karen Williams: Redland Mayor charged with drink driving takes leave after death threats and Transport Minister’s anger

Transport Minister Mark Bailey has joined the calls for Redland Mayor Karen Williams to resign. Today Ms Williams said she would take leave after she received death threats and abuse following a high-range drink driving charge.

Redland City Council Mayor Karen Williams will take personal leave starting on Monday after she said she received death threats and abuse.

In a statement on Saturday night, Ms Williams said she would take a period of unpaid leave until her matter was dealt with.

“I will undertake this personal leave to respond to the police charge and to receive counselling as I committed to do last week,” she said.

“I again apologise for my actions and the toll they have taken on the community.

“I made a serious personal error of judgment, for which I am deeply sorry.”

“Whilst not excusing my actions in any way, the death threats and serious abuse I have received this week have also taken a heavy toll on my family and staff.

“Others have reached out to offer words of comfort during this time and I sincerely thank them.”

Redland mayor Karen Williams will take personal leave starting on Monday after she said she received death threats and abuse. In a statement on Saturday night, Ms Williams said she would take a period of unpaid leave until her matter was dealt with.

Her decision follows calls for her to step down from two state MPs and a Redland mother whose daughter died at the hands of a drink driver.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said many deaths on the state’s roads were the result of dangerous and risky behaviour by drivers.

“Mayor Karen Williams has today been charged by police with high-range drink driving with blood testing showing she was three-and-a-half times the legal blood alcohol limit when she crashed her car,” he said. “Three-and-a-half times. It was no marginal thing.

“I’m well beyond disappointed in her.

“If she is convicted of this high-range drink driving charge, she should take responsibility for her indefensible behaviour, do the decent thing and resign.

“She has betrayed the trust the people of Redlands entrusted in her to lead them.

“She must go.”

Road safety advocate Judy Lindsay, whose daughter Hayley died in 2009 and Capalaba MP Don Brown also called for Cr Williams to resign or be removed immediately after the mayor was charged with a high-range drink driving offence.

Cr Williams was formally charged after returning a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.177 per cent after crashing a luxury hybrid electric car after delivering the council budget last week.

Mr Brown said there had been “mixed messages” from the council about the amount of alcohol at an event held for staff after the mayor handed down her budget on June 23.

Redlands mayor Karen Williams.

He said he had filed a complaint about drinking at the council chambers and has called for an investigation into whether there was a drinking culture at offices in Bloomfield St.

“I’ve heard the cookie cutter statement from the council side and then I’ve heard councillor Adelia Berridge going on radio speaking very openly.

“There is an Office of independent Assessor investigation which will no doubt unfold and I think that all needs to be taken into consideration.

“There seems to be mixed messages from the CEO, Andrew Chesterman, around how many bottles of wine were authorised and how many were at the event.”

Citizens Against Road Slaughter ambassador Ms Lindsay, said she had not received an apology from the council after attending a zoom meeting with the mayor on the night of the crash.

She said she was glad the mayor was stepping aside to take unpaid leave.

“I am more than happy to sit with her and show her the QPS video of the night that Hayley lost her life to a drunk driver that we use all around Queensland to educate people about driving behaviours,” she said.

Alexandra Hills woman, Hayley Russell, was 20 when she died at the hands of a drink driver.

Ms Lindsay said ratepayers should not be made to bear the costs of repairs or replacement of the $74,000 Lexus car and vowed that a planned memorial the council was helping to organise to commemorate her daughter’s life would still be built at Alexandra Hills.

“I have spoken to someone else from the council but no official apology,” Ms Lindsay said.

“Karen has no say in the memorial for Hayley and it will go ahead.

“I would tell Karen: ‘Resign, stand down, move on with your life.

“I feel completely insulted.”

Ms Lindsay said it had been a week of pain for her family and said there was no alternative but for Ms Williams to resign.

Judy Lindsay at the site of the crash where mayor Karen Williams crashed her luxury council Lexus.

“Our meeting finished at 7.30pm and the crash happened at around 8pm.”

Ms Lindsay said after the zoom meeting she spoke with Ben Beaumont and Michelle Liddle, whose son Angus died in 2020 after being stabbed by youth offenders.

They were also on zoom that night to discuss a petition with Cr Williams.

Road safety advocate Judy Lindsay with Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll.

Ms Lindsay said all the families who had lost loved ones and were at the zoom meeting were astonished after hearing Cr Williams had crashed her car.

“Redlands now needs to choose a new mayor who we can trust.”

Ben Beaumont said he was not calling for Cr Williams to resign but said he would not deal with the mayor again if the allegations were proven.

“Her camera kept turning on and off and by the end of the meeting her behaviour was very odd.

“I did not see her have alcohol but after this reading from the police, it speaks volumes.

“It is highly disrespectful for all of the families at that meeting.”

Michelle Liddle and Ben Beaumont, the parents of Angus Beaumont, were at a zoom meeting with Karen Williams less than two weeks after being in court for sentencing over their son’s stabbing murder. Picture: John Gass

Capalaba MP Don Brown also called for the mayor to resign.

“Today, we have found out that Karen has been charged with this offence,” he said.

“Redlanders deserve a mayor they can trust and respect.”

Cr Williams was issued with a Notice To Appear due to appear in Cleveland Magistrates Court on August 1, 2022.

She was charged after crashing her council-owned hybrid electric Lexus stationwagon at the Queen and Wellington street T junction in Cleveland an hour after the zoom meeting with the families whose loved ones had died in road crashes and at the hands of juvenile offenders.

The crash, at around 8pm on Thursday, June 23, was hours after the mayor had handed down the council budget, which was the most expensive in southeast Queensland.

The luxury vehicle, which cost ratepayers upwards of $74,000, left the road, travelled through a fence and struck a tree.

Cr Williams, 55, was not seriously injured in the crash and was taken to hospital where she underwent a blood test.