Rachel Mannering: Tura Beach woman’s bid for freedom after ‘mammoth’ .373 breath test

A jailed drink-driver’s plea to be released in time for Christmas has been squashed by a Judge, who said the woman had the “largest” breath test reading he had seen in his career.

Rachel Mannering blew a “mammoth” .373. Picture: Generic RBT

A drink-driver’s desperate bid to leave jail in time for Christmas has been quashed by a Judge, who slammed the far south coast woman for having the largest breath test reading he had seen in his career.

Rachel Mannering, 50, appeared in Nowra District Court on Wednesday to appeal her jail sentence with hopes to be out by Christmas, however Judge Christopher O’Brien said the crime was too serious.

“In my many years as a lawyer, then Magistrate and now Judge, I have never seen a reading this high before,” he said.

“This is an absolutely mammoth reading. I do not know how you were able to even get in the car – how were you breathing?”

On the morning of May 2022 last year, Mannering was caught driving recklessly at the Tura Beach shopping centre, not giving way to cars and driving quickly through 50km/h areas.

Highway patrol were in the area at the time, pulling her over and conducting a breath test.

The test returned a reading of .373 – more than seven times the legal limit.

Mannering was arrested and taken to the Merimbula Police Station, where a secondary test confirmed the result.

Rachel Mannering was sentenced in the Bega Local Court in July last year. Picture: Tom McGann

She told officers she started drinking alcohol at 2am the night before and only stopped 30 minutes before she got into her car at 10am.

The 50-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge of high range drink driving in the Bega Local Court on July 11 last year before Magistrate Doug Dick.

The same month, Mr Dick convicted Mannering, sentenced her to an 18 month community correction order, ordered her to complete 200 hours of community service and fined her $500.

He also suspended her licence for six months and stated she would need to install an interlock device into her vehicle for 24 months once her licence returned.

However, Mannering breached the community correction order twice between July 2023 and October 2024, leading to Mr Dick placing her in custody for nine months, three months without parole, stating he was left with “no other option”.

The Tura Beach woman appeared via video link from custody in court on Wednesday in an attempt to appeal the custodial sentence.

Her lawyer told the court she wanted to be released to spend Christmas with her family.

Judge O’Brien said he understood the desire to see one’s family during the Christmas season, but he said punishment was necessary for committing crimes.

Mannering’s appeal was denied and she will be eligible for release on January 14.

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