Byron Bay woman Kylie Emma Sleeth sentenced after blowing over five times the legal limit
A Byron Bay woman says her anxiety and depression skyrocketed during Covid lockdowns and led her to a high-range drink driving offence.
Byron Shire
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A woman who blew more than five times the legal limit while driving down one of Byron Bay’s busiest streets has blamed her early morning drunken cruise on anxiety and depression brought on by long bouts of lockdowns during the Covid pandemic.
Kylie Emma Sleeth, 38, registered a blood alcohol reading of 0.260 when she was stopped for a random breath test on Tennyson Rd just after 1am on April 14.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Kadene Connery told Byron Bay Local Court on Tuesday that Ms Sleeth appeared intoxicated and was slurring her words when she was asked to undergo the breath test.
But Sleeth’s solicitor, Sophie Dagg, told the court that her client had experienced mental health issues after living in Victoria during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns.
The lawyer said the lockdowns had resulted an increase in Ms Sleeth’s mental health problems.
“This exacerbated her anxiety and depression,” Ms Dagg told the court.
Ms Dagg said Ms Sleeth, who had worked in healthcare, had sought treatment, including attending alcoholic anonymous meetings.
Sleeth, who did not have a criminal history or driving offences, was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order and disqualified from driving for six months.
After that time, she will need to fit an interlock device for two years.
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