Nadia Bartel to front court on driving charge

Nadia Bartel has revealed the reason why she did not know she was driving on a suspended licence until confronted by police.

Nadia Bartel parks her car on Tuesday. Picture: Matrix

Nadia Bartel is set to front court after running foul of the law just a week before her damning leaked cocaine video emerged.

The Herald Sun can reveal the former WAG and mother-of-two was charged by police for driving while her licence was suspended, just seven days before a snorting scandal that made national headlines.

Bartel, 36, was picked up by Prahran Highway Patrol officers while driving along Dandenong Rd near her Windsor home at about 12.30pm on August 25 last year.

Victoria Police confirmed she was charged with two offences, including driving while suspended and failing to update her address.

She is due to face Melbourne Magistrate’s Court for a mention hearing on March 24 and could face up to four months jail, or a fine of up to $4500 for a first offence.

Bartel told the Herald Sun she was “not aware” she was driving on a suspended licence.

“In August I was pulled over by the police who advised me that I was driving on a suspended licence,” she said.

“The suspension was due to exceeding my demerit point balance.

“I was not aware of the suspension as communication had been sent to my previous residential address which I didn’t receive.

“I would never have driven had I been aware of the suspension and my residential details have now been updated.”

The embattled influencer took to social media on Tuesday to share with her 555k followers that she “had a real crap one yesterday” and felt “so down and sad”.

Bartel will face the Melbourne Magistrates Court over the driving charge. Picture: Instagram

“I don’t normally share how I’m actually feeling but I think it’s important to know it’s okay to feel sad — it’s just a feeling, and all feelings are temporary, the feeling will pass,” she wrote.

“Tomorrow is a new day, and I need the bad days to appreciate the better ones.”

It’s not known when Bartel was served with the driving offences.

Just one week after she was nabbed by the cops, Bartel was filmed hoovering a white powder from a $3 Kmart plate on September 1.

The incriminating video, filmed live by her best friend Ellie Pearson on Instagram during Victoria’s sixth Covid-19 lockdown, went viral by the next morning.

Footage showed Bartel surrounded by three or four other women, who laughed as she leaned over the plate in a Richmond bathroom during an illegal gathering.

The snorting scandal cost Bartel lucrative sponsorship deals. Picture: Wayne Taylor

The party was quickly over with Bartel, Pearson and two other women hit with fines of $5452 each for breaching lockdown rules that banned home visits.

Bartel’s flashy career came crashing down over the drama, which saw lucrative sponsorship deals vanish amid the tawdry headlines.

Two days after the three-second clip appeared online, Bartel apologised saying she was “embarrassed and remorseful”.

“I have let you all down by my actions,” she wrote on social media.

“I take full responsibility and I am committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure I make better choices in future.”

She did not face criminal charges for the white powder scandal.

Originally published as Nadia Bartel to front court on driving charge