Kate Whitney: Engadine drink driving mother faces court

A school principal called police after spotting a mum knocking back red wine as she waited in her car to pick up her child.

A drink-driving mother sipping on wine in the car while waiting to pick up her child was charged after a concerned school principal noticed her behaviour and called the police.

A court heard Kate Whitney, 38, had been drinking all morning before she drove from her Engadine home to Gymea Bay Public School to pick up her child.

Whitney was charged with drink driving after the school’s principal called police and reported she was intoxicated when she attempted to collect the child.

“As police spoke to the accused they could see that she was visibly upset,” agreed police facts stated.

“She slurred her words, had a strong smell of intoxicating liquor on her breath and was unsteady on her feet.”

Whitney immediately told police she had consumed three quarters of a bottle of wine in two hours while working at home.

She then drove to Engadine shops and bought an additional bottle of wine prior to collecting her child from school.

Kate Whitney at Sutherland Local Court.

“The accused stated that she poured the bottle of wine into a drink container and sat in her car while parked, consuming most of it,” agreed police facts stated.

“She then left her vehicle and walked to the entrance of the school.”

After testing positive for alcohol in a roadside test, a subsequent breath analysis at Miranda police station revealed a whopping high-range result of 0.222 – more than four times the legal limit.

However, Whitney’s solicitor negotiated with police for the charge to be reduced to mid-range drink driving to reflect her level of intoxication when she drove from Engadine to Gymea, instead of after she consumed the additional alcohol in her parked car.

At Sutherland Local Court on Thursday, Magistrate Jayeann Carney discharged Whitney without conviction, disqualified her from driving for three months and fined her $900.

She will also have to use an interlock licence limiting her to a zero alcohol limit when she recommences driving.

“The accused admitted to drink three quarters of a bottle of wine over a two hour period and also informed police that she was an alcoholic and had not drank for a month,” agreed police facts stated.

“She was embarrassed and ashamed of what she had done and was cooperative with police.”

A traffic record tendered to the court showed Whitney had no prior drink driving offences and only two minor speeding tickets in her driving history.