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Injury prevention and health leader Nilusha De Silva caught drink driving in Maroubra

A corporate injury prevention and health leader was caught drink driving in the eastern suburbs after a few wines.

Nilusha De Silva is the Head of Injury Prevention & Health at Veolia Australia and an accredited exercise physiologist.
Nilusha De Silva is the Head of Injury Prevention & Health at Veolia Australia and an accredited exercise physiologist.

A corporate injury prevention and health leader was caught driving while drunk in Maroubra.

Nilusha De Silva, of the ritzy Melbourne suburb Prahran, is the head of injury prevention and health at Veolia Australia and an accredited exercise physiologist.

She faced Waverley Local Court for sentence on Wednesday after she pleaded guilty to driving with a mid-range PCA.

Magistrate Michael Barko convicted De Silva and handed her a $440 fine. Her driver’s licence has also been disqualified for three months and she must have an interlock device fitted into her car when she is back on the roads.

Court documents state the 43-year-old was driving along Anzac Parade, Maroubra about 11.30pm on June 13 when police conducting random roadside breath tests directed her to pull over.

De Silva was sentenced at Waverley Courthouse.
De Silva was sentenced at Waverley Courthouse.

De Silva smelt of alcohol and failed to provide a sufficient breath sample despite several police attempts, facts state. She was arrested and taken to Maroubra Police Station where she returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.100, which is twice the legal limit.

De Silva told police she had consumed three glasses of wine that night.

De Silva consumed three glasses of wine before she hopped behind the wheel, the court heard.
De Silva consumed three glasses of wine before she hopped behind the wheel, the court heard.

At her court appearance, De Silva’s lawyer Anna Petrakis said her client was a manager and physiologist.

Ms Petrakis said De Silva had thought she was under the legal alcohol limit because she had eaten a meal with the wine and expressed “deep and sincere” remorse.

She was supported by her colleagues and the incident was an “isolated lapse in judgment,” Ms Petrakis said.

De Silva sought medical advice after the incident and completed two traffic offenders program courses.

Mr Barko said the most frequent offence before the court used to be mid-range drink driving, which has been replaced with drug driving and drug possession.
Mr Barko said the most frequent offence before the court used to be mid-range drink driving, which has been replaced with drug driving and drug possession.

Mr Barko said back in the day the most frequent offence before the court was mid-range drink driving, which had since been taken over with drug driving and drug possession.

He added that nowadays it was easy for people to order affordable car services to pick them up quickly if they have been consuming alcohol and questioned her decision to get behind the wheel while intoxicated.

De Silva had no criminal history or major offences on her criminal record.

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/wentworth-courier/injury-prevention-and-health-leader-nilusha-de-silva-caught-drink-driving-in-maroubra/news-story/a51f045c5680285ed0118542105c0ad0