Berkeley woman Anastacia Lumby’s ‘disregard for the law’ lands her in jail
A woman caught driving without a licence five times in as many months has been locked up because of her ‘flagrant, contemptuous disregard for the law’. Read what she did.
Illawarra Star
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A Berkeley woman who was caught driving without a licence five times in just 134 days has been chucked in jail because of her flagrant “disregard for the law”.
Anastasia Lumby, 37, fronted Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday to be sentenced for five counts of driving without a licence.
Magistrate Roger Prowse found “no alternative” to a 14-month stint in jail with a non-parole period of seven months.
Police facts noted Lumby’s “poor traffic record” with Mr Prowse telling the court of the woman’s extensive rap sheet of convictions for speeding, not stopping at a stop sign and parking in disabled spots.
The court documents said Lumby had three cars to her name – a Nissan Navara, an MG and a Toyota Corolla – that were worth combined more than $100,000.
Shortly after noon on December 30, 2021, police stopped Lumby in Berkeley while she was driving her Nissan for a random breath test when she could not produce her licence.
The documents said she bluffed while speaking to the officer, saying she did not think she was suspended because she had completed a driver education course and she “had a receipt at home somewhere”.
However, when police followed her to her nearby adobe where she was unable to produce the receipt.
Lumby was caught behind the wheel of the Nissan two more times in just six weeks including in Berkeley and at Bunnings in Kembla Grange where she was seen getting in and out of the vehicle on CCTV.
On March 1, this year, Lumby was driving her white MG when she was pulled over in Berkeley and could not produce her licence.
Once again she told police she had completed a traffic offenders program and “was of the opinion” that she was allowed to drive.
However, she admitted to police she had not been notified whether she was allowed to drive again by Roads and Maritime Services.
On May 13, police picked up Lumby s fifth time driving her bronze Toyota on the M1 Mwy near Dapto without a licence.
In court on Tuesday, Lumby’s lawyer Anthony Stewart asked for his client to “be given another chance” as she was “clean from the drugs” and was “getting her life back together”.
Mr Prowse was not of the mind to show any leniency, given Lumby had “shown a complete contemptuous disregard for the law”.
“You said on one occasion you were only driving to get smokes, not completing a course or this or that, you just drive when you want to,” Mr Prowse said.
Lumby interjected, attempting to justify her actions, which drew the ire of the magistrate who snapped “I wouldn‘t interrupt again if I were you”.
“You have shown a flagrant, contemptuous disregard for law,” Mr Prowse continued.
“You could have done this, that or the other, but the court has no confidence you would comply with a community order.”
Lumby will be eligible for parole in July, 2023, with the court handing down a 12-month driving disqualification which will begin from her prison release date.