Louise Esposito convicted after ‘slowest ever’ police pursuit

A driver led police on their “slowest ever” pursuit in southern Sydney after she was so affected by a sleeping pill she failed to notice their lights and sirens following her for 3km.

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A driver led police on their “slowest ever” pursuit in southern Sydney after she was so affected by a sleeping pill she failed to notice their lights and sirens following her for 3km.

Alarmed motorists called police just after 9pm on March 28 after they saw respected childcare worker Louise Esposito, 30, driving with an unconscious woman in her passenger seat on Captain Cook Dr in Woolooware.

Police then trailed Esposito at speeds of 40km/h in a 70km/h zone for 3km before she noticed they were pursuing her with lights and sirens.

An urgent police broadcast informed officers Esposito appeared “very drug intoxicated” before several vehicles responded.

“Police activated warning lights and sirens, however, the vehicle failed to stop and continued travelling eastbound on Captain Cook Dr well below the speed limit (and) the pursuit lasted 3km,” the agreed police facts stated.

“The accused was asked why it took her so long to stop – the accused replied ‘I didn’t see or hear you’.”

Louise Esposito, 30, pleaded guilty to leading police on their slowest ever pursuit after she drove while significantly affected by a sleeping pill. Picture: Facebook

Esposito pleaded guilty to failing to obey police orders, driving suspended due to fine default, failing to update her address with Roads and Maritime Services, and two counts of goods in custody after police found her with an epilepsy medication called pregabalin and the antipsychotic tevatiapine XR quetiapine without prescriptions.

Magistrate Les Mabbutt at Sutherland Local Court convicted her, sentenced her to a 12-month community corrections order and fined her $1000 along with a one-month driving disqualification.

Esposito’s lawyer Mr Newham told the court she had sought help for drug issues just two days before she was caught out.

“The police officer said it was the slowest pursuit he had ever been involved in,” Mr Newham told the court.

“She was at a friend’s house in Glebe … she took a sleeping pill before she left as it takes an hour to set in.”

Esposito then intended to drive directly home before the pill took effect but instead wound up, significantly affected by the pill, in Woolooware when dropping her friend home, who had passed out unconscious in her front seat.

Esposito had already used her only chance to avoid a recorded conviction when police saw her leave a notorious drug house in Penshurst in May 2018 and subsequently found her with liquid ecstasy and ice in her handbag.

Police followed her from the Carrington St home on May 6 before pulling her over on Dudley St, Hurstville and conducting a search.

Esposito admitted to having a vial of GHB and ice in her handbag and received a 12-month conditional release order with no conviction at the time.

However, the non-conviction and bond were both overturned after the breach and Esposito was fined $450 for each drug offence by Mr Mabbutt.

“If you come back for any drug-related offences, things will get very serious,” Mr Mabbutt told Esposito.

Esposito had never come to the attention of police prior to the May 2018 incident.