Drink-driving officer: ‘Cop culture’ led to boozing

A former cop who slammed into a tree while more than four times the alcohol limit became a heavy drinker through the culture at Queensland Police, a court has heard.

Rachelle Elise Perry leaving Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday. Picture: Liam Kidston

A former cop who slammed into a tree while more than four times the alcohol limit became a heavy drinker through the culture at Queensland Police, a court has heard.

Rachelle Elise Perry, 27, faced Brisbane Magistrates Court charged with two counts of assault police and one count each of drive without due care and attention, obstruct police, drive under the influence and driving over the middle alcohol limit.

Perry, who had no criminal history and a limited traffic record, pleaded guilty to the charges.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Tri Pham said police were called to the scene of a single vehicle crash in Newstead in October last year.

He said Perry’s vehicle was blocking an intersection after hitting a tree.

Sen Constable Pham said Perry had locked herself in the car and police had to remove her from the vehicle but she resisted and kicked out, hitting the officers’ arms and hands.

She was taken to the hospital where she returned an alcohol reading of 0.218.

Rachelle Elise Perry blamed police culture for her drinking. Picture: Liam Kidston

The court heard that five months later Perry hit a parked car on the side of the road.

A witness told police Perry was staggering and unsure about why there’d been a collision.

“The defendant then told that witness they didn’t have to call police because she was a ex police officer herself, gave that person a phone number and said that she was going to leave,” he said.

“But what makes it serious is that she’d already committed a significant public safety offence some months earlier.”

The prosecution dropped a charge of obstructing police.

Perry’s lawyer Andrew Owens said his client had worked in a variety of jobs including as a legal secretary but joined the police force - a long-time goal - when she was 19.

She was stationed in Cairns then Aurukun, where she began consuming more alcohol because she was told “you don’t get trusted if you don’t drink”, her lawyer said.

“During her time in the service there was some inappropriate dealing and complaints that a young female officer shouldn’t have to go through,” he said.

“Unfortunately, she became somewhat disillusioned through her service and her drinking significantly increased.”

Perry was suspended from the police service for unrelated matters in April last year before resigning several months later.

Mr Owens said her offending occurred in that context.

Since the incidents Perry had completed a driver offender program and was seeing a psychologist.

Perry was doing everything she could to address her issues since “a significant fall from grace”, he said.

Magistrate Mark Nolan said Perry “really should have known better”.

Perry was fined $2000 and was disqualified from driving for six months.

Convictions were not recorded.