Gabby Klopper: Woollahra woman convicted of drug driving
A glamorous young eastern suburbs woman was on the way back home from a drug-filled festival with her mates when her dangerous driving caught the attention of fellow motorists. And the longer she went, the more erratic her driving became.
Southern Courier
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A glamorous young woman who dreams of a career in marketing has failed to rub a criminal conviction after hopping behind the wheel of a black Jeep Compass after a hazy drug-filled festival in western Sydney.
The District Court heard 21-year-old Gabrielle Anne Klopper, supported in court by her dad, had consumed illegal drugs across the weekend of a music festival in Windsor before beginning the one hour journey back to her Woollahra home on November 19 last year.
The university student drove the black Jeep Compass as her two friends slept beside her.
However, her wild, erratic driving was so concerning on New Line Rd, Dural a man called triple-0.
The court heard the car had been swerving all over the road with other motorists forced to take evasive action to dodge a collision.
The wild driving continued onto the M2 Motorway where Klopper began to travel about 15km/h in the shoulder lane, the court heard.
When a police car was positioned behind her Jeep Compass and the warning lights initiated the 21-year-old woman continued to drive on. The Woollahra woman ultimately stopped the car when police officers pulled up beside her and used hand signals.
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The court heard Klopper was observed to have abnormally large pupils, shallow breathing, slurred speech, sluggish movements and shaking hands, with the 21-year-old putting her erratic driving down to her fiddling with her navigation device.
Expert analysis revealed Klopper was under the influence of MDMA or ecstasy withdrawal.
In the Local Court the young woman was sentenced to 12-months off the road and was placed on a community corrections order for the same period.
When appealing her sentence in the District Court, Judge Yehia heard Klopper was troubled by the thought of having a criminal conviction against her name with her lawyer stating it would haunt her for the next decade.
“She is concerned about the ongoing effects of a conviction affecting her career going forward,” the lawyer said.
“She wants to do a job in marketing. She is doing a business degree. This will inevitably put her at a disadvantage for the next ten years.”
The court also heard Klopper had been dealing with the suicide of a friend at the time of the incident which led, in part, to her drug-taking.
“I’m of the view the driving is just far too serious (to not record a conviction)”, Judge Dina Yehia said.
The sentence was reduced from a 12-month community corrections order to a 12-month conditional release order, with the conviction and the disqualification period upheld.