Dee Why mum Hannah Louise Morris sentenced for being drunk on morning school run

A northern beaches’ mum, who had her last wine at 4am before taking her two kids to school, has been sentenced for being six times over the legal alcohol limit.

• Teens’ vandalism spree at Manly aquarium site
• Clontarf design revealed

A northern beaches mum, who was six times over the legal alcohol limit when she made the morning school run with her two children in the car, has narrowly avoided being sent to jail.

Hannah Louise Morris, 44, of Dee Why, had pleaded guilty in Manly Local Court last month to driving with an alcohol reading of 0.314 in her blood just after dropping the children at school.

Hannah Louise Morris outside Manly Local Court. Picture: Richard Dobson

Magistrate Michelle Goodwin told the court: “I don’t know how she was conscious, frankly”.

Ms Goodwin said Morris could have been sentenced to a maximum penalty of 18 months behind bars for what was her third drink driving offence since the year 2000.

The court was told that Morris had been using alcohol to help alleviate the “extreme pain” of a broken toe and to help her get over the death of her father in mid-2018.

She told police she had been drinking wine the night before and even had a wine at 4am that morning.

Morris felt obligated to take her children to school, even though she felt “sluggish”, because they had never used public transport and her partner was overseas, the court heard.

Morris, who had just dropped her children, aged 12 and 14, at school, was arrested after police received a complaint from another motorist who saw her black Citroen DS4 swerving all over the road.

Northern beaches mum Hannah Louise Morris was six times over the legal alcohol limit. Picture: Richard Dobson

The motorist saw Morris, a post graduate psychology university student, driving at low speed along the Wakehurst Parkway at Oxford Falls about 8.40am on March 8.

In a facts sheet tendered to court police said officers then went to her home in Dee Why. They were told by a neighbour that she had left the house earlier in the morning with her two children, The family’s pet dog was also in the car.

Minutes after speaking with the neighbour, police saw Morris drive the Citroen­ into her street at “extremely slow speed”. When officers pulled her over for a roadside breath test she parked about 1m away from the kerb.

Police said she could hardly stand and swore at police when she was arrested­.

Hannah Louise Morris attempts to evade cameras outside Manly Local Court. Picture: Richard Dobson

She was arrested and taken to Dee Why police station where she was breath tested and returned the high-range reading of 0.314 — more than six times over the legal limit.

The court heard that Morris started drinking red wine the previous evening about 6pm. She had then woken at 4am and had another glass of wine.

In total, Morris told police, she believed she had drunk six moderate-sized glasses of wine.

Morris also said she had been taking Nuromol, a pain killer, for a number of days.

Police prosecutor Adrian Walsh said the case involved a “very concerning set of facts”.

“It is incomprehensible that a mother would put her children, aged 12 and 14, at risk,” Sgt Walsh said.

Ms Goodwin told Morris, as she wiped away tears, that except for the drink driving offence it “appears in all aspects you are a good and decent member of the community”.

She sentenced Morris to a 15-month Intensive Corrections Order that includes conditions that she be of good behaviour; does not drink alcohol and completes 200 hours’ community service.

Morris was also banned from driving for six months.

She declined to comment when leaving court.