Clare Amato: Catalina woman convicted for high range drink driving

A woman was almost six times above the legal blood alcohol limit after drinking three espresso martini cans and hopping behind the wheel – an incident which ended an 150-day sober streak.

Clare Amato blew .291 after a night on the drinks with a friend ended in shame.

A woman was almost six times above the legal blood alcohol limit after drinking three espresso martini cans and hopping behind the wheel – an incident which ended an 150-day sober streak.

The incident saw Catalina woman, Clare Amato, end up in Batemans Bay Local Court on Monday, having previously pleaded guilty to high range drink driving.

Police documents tendered to the court reveal the 25-year-old woman had treated herself to three espresso martini cans between 10am and 6pm at her home on June 3, when only a mere 20 minutes after her last drink, Amato got in her car to drive to her friend’s house.

Travelling down the Princes Hwy outside Bimbimbie, 17km away from her home, Amato began abruptly braking and swerving, which attracted the attention of police, court documents state.

The officers, who were travelling behind Amato, pulled her over and when approaching the vehicle, “could smell a strong odour of intoxicating liquor on the accused’s person”.

Clare Amato was convicted in Batemans Bay Local Court on Monday, after she blew nearly four times over the legal limit.

Amato participated in a breath test, which returned a positive reading of .291, nearly six times over the legal limit.

After being arrested and conveyed to the Moruya Police Station, Amato admitted to drinking the three martinis without eating any food throughout the day.

“When she was arrested, she was unsteady on her feet and needed to use her car and the police for support to stop her from falling,” agreed facts state.

In Batemans Bay Local Court on Monday, Amato’s lawyer Kristie-Lee Spajic, said her client had struggled with alcohol in the past.

“This is her third drink driving offence,” she said.

But, Ms Spajic said Amato had been working to change her ways, having been sober for 150 days before the new incident.

“She was very stressed at the time, which is why she went back to the drinks,” she said.

Magistrate Doug Dick said there was never an excuse for drink driving.

“You clearly have some stresses in your life, but of course, there is never an answer at the bottom of a bottle,” he said.

“This is a very high reading.”

Mr Dick convicted Amato, sentenced her to a two year community corrections order, disqualified her licence for six months and fined her $800.

Amato was also ordered to have an interlock device installed in her car for two years when her licence returns.