Northern beaches woman had two kids in car when she blew four times over the alcohol limit
A WOMAN caught driving more than four times over the legal limit when she had children in her car was sentenced on Wednesday.
Manly
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A WOMAN caught driving more than four times over the legal limit when she had two children in her car was sentenced in Manly Court today.
Sara Clyne, 40, of Davidson, was also behind the wheel even though her licence had been suspended.
She pleaded guilty to high-range drink driving after blowing 0.216.
The former media sales executive was stopped for a random breath test on Mona Vale Rd, Terrey Hills at 2.55pm on January 27 — the day after Australia Day.
Police said she was driving a Toyota SUV with two children in the back seat and her husband in the front passenger seat when she was pulled over.
Papers handed up to the court said Ms Clyne told police she had her first drink at 8pm on Australia Day.
She also told police she did not know how many drinks she had consumed or when she had stopped drinking, the papers said.
Ms Clyne’s licence had been suspended, a week before she was arrested, for non-payment of a fine.
Her solicitor Richard Thomas told Magistrate Christopher Longley that Ms Clyne had an issue with alcohol consumption and that she was seeking a medical referral to a psychologist to address the problem.
“My client knows that she has committed a very serious offence,” Mr Thomas said.
“She has taken steps to address her alcohol consumption.”
Mr Thomas said Ms Clyne had collected a number of character references and that she volunteered in a school canteen and with a local junior rugby league club.
Mr Longley said the breath test reading of 0.216 was “not insignificant” and reminded her that if she had been involved in a road accident while intoxicated, she could have ended up in jail if a person had been injured.
The Magistrate also said the Ms Clyne may have been drinking as a “continuation of what would have been Australia Day celebrations early into the next day”.
She was placed on an 18-month good behaviour bond; suspended from driving for nine months and ordered to have an Interlock breath test device fitted to her car when she gets her licence back.
Ms Clyne declined to comment outside of court.