Ashley Olsen: Matraville mum speeding in school zone with cocaine in system

When an eastern suburbs mum was caught speeding through a school zone with a child passenger, things were bad enough. Then an oral fluid test detected cocaine in her system.

An eastern suburbs mother who works at the port has faced court after she was caught speeding well above the limit with cocaine in her system in a school zone near Anzac Pde in Matraville.

Ashley Olsen, 29, fronted Waverley Local Court on Tuesday after being charged with driving with an illicit drug in her system.

Magistrate Ross Hudson told the court the number of drug-related driving matters that came before the court was “ridiculous.”

“There has to be a time where people shoulder up and take responsibility,” he said.

But the magistrate ruled “on a fine balance” that the “tentacles of the law” did not reach the level where the harshest punishment was warranted for the young mum.

Ashley Olsen appeared at Waverley Local Court on Tuesday. Photo: Bianca Healey.

Police documents tendered to court state about 3.24pm at Matraville on February 11 Olsen was driving a Mazda SUV along Anzac Pde.

Police in the area – who were conducting speed enforcement for traffic near the 40km/h school zone – saw the car clearly exceeding the speed limit; driving at 68km/h before breaking to 62km/h.

Court documents said Olsen was ordered to stop by police who approached her and noted her seven year old daughter was sitting in the front seat.

Police told Olsen she had been speeding and asked her to show them her drivers licence and submit to an oral fluid test, court documents said.

When a positive result for cocaine came from the oral test, Olsen was taken to Maroubra police station where she told police she had taken the cocaine “two weeks ago” and that she doesn’t take drugs frequently.

The facts state Olsen had also been found driving with cocaine in her system in December, which was recorded on her traffic record.

Olsen outside Waverley Court. Photo: Bianca Healey.

Olsen was given a 18-month conditional release order without conviction for driving with an illicit drug in her system and a penalty notice for exceeding the speed limit in a school zone.

The sentence came with a warning from the magistrate, who said the court must act as a deterrent to offences that put lives in danger on the road.

Magistrate Hudson noted the mum, who works at the port and has clearance for high-level operations, had “gone through the shame and discomfort” of telling others about her actions.

However he said “the patience of the court and the patience of the community soon has to dry up.”

“It’s not worth the risk. You’re old enough, you know enough,” he said.