Drink-driver Kayla Hosking, four times over limit before crashing in Port Stephens, sentenced
A Hunter magistrate has delivered an extraordinary spray to a high-range drink driver who crashed into a drain at Port Stephens, after she got behind the wheel intoxicated to get some ciggies at a nearby service station.
Newcastle
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A Hunter magistrate has slammed a woman who was caught drink-driving four times over the legal limit saying the community has had enough.
“The difference between her and those people in Sydney (where four children were killed), there was no one on the footpath,” Magistrate Brett Shields said.
“You must have seen the media, your reading was worse.”
Kayla Hosking, 29, was at a friends house at Lemon Tree Passage when she decided to get behind the wheel intoxicated to get some cigarettes at a nearby service station before driving home, at around 9.30pm on January 4.
Instead she was spotted by police after she had crashed her vehicle into a drainage culvert at the BP service station in Salt Ash.
Police facts stated Ms Hosking — who was very uncooperative and failed to explain why she had crashed — smelt of intoxicating liquor, had flushed skin and glazed eyes. Her behaviour was erratic, talkative one minute and crying the next.
Police said her only reply was that she wanted to contact a lawyer before saying anything to police.
She was then arrested and breath tested to return a reading of .213.
In Raymond Terrace Court on Monday, Ms Hosking pleaded guilty to drive with high-range PCA.
Her solicitor told the court, his client realised it was a very serious offence that carried 18 months jail.
“She was significantly intoxicated, she was uncooperative with police. She does have a psychological condition and she is back on medication,” he said.
“That night she had an argument with her husband and it was a very foolish decision to drive home.”
He also told the court his client had a low-range drink-driving charge over five years ago and had done the traffic offenders program.
“People like this, back again, don’t get the message,” Magistrate Shields said.
“You only have to read the papers to see how much anger there is on this. It is perfectly directed anger at people who do this.
“It is just good luck, when the luck runs out you’ve seen in the paper what happens.”
He sentenced Ms Hosking to a 10 month Intensive Corrections Order, disqualified her from driving for nine months and ordered a mandatory interlock.