Windang woman Gemma Purcell cries at thought of jail after High Range drink driving
An Illawarra woman has broken down in tears saying she ‘helped old people with their groceries’ after she was caught driving with one of the state’s highest ever breath test readings.
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An Illawarra woman has broken down in tears, telling a court she’s a “good person who helps old people with their groceries” after she was caught drink driving for the third time, with one of the state’s highest ever breath test readings.
Gemma Purcell was charged with high-range drink driving last year, after police found her crying in a Cringila gutter next to her crashed Suzuki Swift, with a blood alcohol reading almost nine times over the legal limit.
The 34-year-old faced Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday, where she was due to be sentenced by magistrate Mark Douglass after pleading guilty to the charge against her.
However, Magistrate Douglass refused to sentence Ms Purcell, after she did not seek legal advice, and adjourned the case to the end of the month, given it was her third drink driving offence and jail time was a very real possibility.
“I’m not convinced you fully appreciate or understand the seriousness of your circumstances,” he said.
“This is a very serious offence and I have sent many women to jail for this offence.”
Faced with the prospect of imprisonment, Purcell broke down in tears, pleading for “house arrest if anything” and telling the court she was a “very good person”.
“I help so many people, I help old people with their groceries, I help parents with their kids,” she said through tears.
“I do everything for everyone. I’m not a bad person, I made a mistake and I’m sorry.”
In documents tendered to the court, it was alleged Purcell was a “heavy drinker”, with her boyfriend telling police that she “drank every day” at the time of her arrest on July 21.
Police were called to Springhill Road at Cringila around 2pm that day, where court documents say they immediately noticed the smell of alcohol on her breath.
Police questioned Purcell about whether she’d been drinking, prompting her to reply with “yes. I had a wine at lunch with mum”.
Police then subjected her to a roadside breath test, which returned the extremely high reading of 0.450.
Purcell was arrested on the spot and taken to Port Kembla Police Station where she underwent another breath test, which this time returned a reading of 0.432 - almost nine times the legal limit of 0.05.
After police again questioned her about what she’d had to drink that day, Purcell said she’d also had a 375ml bottle of Tooheys New, but that she “vomited a little” after drinking it.
In court documents, police noted that Purcell was able to walk and talk “without much problem”, despite the high reading.
Magistrate Douglass asked Purcell’s boyfriend and friend who were supporting her in court on Tuesday to ensure the 34-year-old visited an arranged appointment with Legal Aid next week, so she could be legally represented for sentencing later this month.