Susan Ballas: Medical consultant convicted of high-range drink driving, crashes car in Rose Bay car park

With an alcohol reading almost four times above the legal limit, a retired medical consultant has fronted court after she crashed her BMW convertible in a Rose Bay car park.

A former consultant with an esteemed career in the medical industry has been issued a stern warning after she recklessly crashed her car in a Rose Bay car park after consuming four gins and heading out to the shops.

Susan Ballas, 61, was sentenced on the charge of driving with a high range PCA on Tuesday at Waverley Local Court.

According to facts tendered to court, about 3.45pm on Wednesday June 29 police responded to calls from the public who had observed a woman attempting to enter the driver’s side door of her black BMW convertible near the Ian St intersection at Rose Bay.

A caller told police she appeared to be heavily intoxicated and had a small brown dog on a lead, the facts said.

Police arrived on the scene and a man showed them his silver Mercedes which he said had been hit by Ballas’ car in the car park.

Susan Ballas outside Waverley Local Court on Tuesday.

While police were inspecting the car another man said he had seen the collision and it happened when Ballas was attempting to reverse her car. The man said when the woman could not reverse any further in her car, she stumbled out and walked away with her dog.

Police found Ballas, who appeared to be heavily intoxicated and unsteady on her feet, leaning on a wall to keep herself from falling over, the facts said.

When asked to provide a breath test and drivers licence, Ballas became upset and said she didn’t have anything on her and “had done nothing wrong”.

She tested positive for a breath test, was arrested and taken to Waverley Police Station.

Ballas, who was able to call her husband to collect the dog, said “I’ve really f**ked up, I’ve had an accident and the police have arrested me for being over the limit”.

Ballas told police she had four glasses of gin between 1pm and 3pm at home before driving to Rose Bay.

A breath analysis returned a reading of 0.198g of alcohol in 210L of breath.

Susan Ballas (right) with supporters outside court.

Ballas told the court in a letter she had “always considered [myself] a responsible person”.

The court heard she was regarded “very highly” as a medical professional by colleagues.

Magistrate Ross Hudson told Ballas he did not need to educate her on the danger to the community of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

“You appreciate the significance of it,” Magistrate Hudson said.

“How the situation can unravel in seconds,” with the risk of serious consequences only accentuated “when alcohol is added to the mix, or drugs.”

Magistrate Hudson convicted Ballas of driving with a high range PCA and fined her $450.