Taleea Simmons: Learner driver sentenced over DUI police pursuit
An unaccompanied Learner driver led police on a high speed pursuit on the Central Coast before crashing and returning a blood alcohol reading of 0.107. Now she has been sentenced in court.
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A Learner driver who led police on a pursuit where she travelled an estimated 130km/h in a 50km/h zone has been sentenced.
Taleea Alison Simmons, 22, of Budgewoi, faced Wyong Local Court on Monday where she pleaded guilty to failing to stop during a police pursuit; being an unaccompanied Learner driver and drink-driving.
The court heard the young mum grew up in Sydney but had moved to the Central Coast about a year ago to turn her life around and get custody of her daughter.
“She made a very serious mistake,” her solicitor told the court, which heard she had been convicted of driving under the influence of drugs in 2017.
An agreed statement of police facts, tendered in court, state police were patrolling along Gorokan Drive at Lake Haven at 11.56pm on Friday, March 20, when they noticed a silver Proton hatchback in front of them travelling “at speed”.
“Police accelerated to catch up to the vehicle and activated all warning devices intending to pull the vehicle over however the accused accelerated harshly as she turned left into Robson Ave, failing to indicate as the vehicle slid around the corner,” the facts read.
“Police followed the accused along Robson Ave towards the intersection of Dudley St. At the time the vehicle is estimated to be travelling 80km/h over the 50km/h signposted limit.
“The accused continued to ignore the police lights and sirens as she proceeded through a stop sign and turned right onto Dudley St losing control of her vehicle as she did, colliding with the western kerbside. Police pulled up adjacent to the vehicle blocking its path.”
“At this point the accused has gotten out of the vehicle, sat on the gutter and burst into tears.”
Checks revealed she was on a Learner licence and she failed a roadside breath test.
She was taken to Wyong Police station where she later returned a reading of 0.107.
“In relation to her drinking the accused said, `I made a mistake’,” the facts read.
The court heard she had completed the traffic offender’s course and sold her car.
Magistrate Caleb Franklin sentenced her to community corrections orders for 18 months, 300 hours of community service and disqualified her from driving for three years.