St Catherine’s Toorak graduate Ruby Morton thrown in divvy van after drink driving allegation

A former student from an elite Toorak college has hired a top legal team after she was thrown in the back of a divvy van for alleged drink driving.

St Catherine’s Toorak graduate Ruby Morton was charged with drink driving. Facebook

A former elite Melbourne private schoolgirl who allegedly ran a red light while over the limit will attempt to beat the charge by arguing she spent too long in a divvy van.

Ruby Morton, 22, fronted Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday charged with running a red light and drink-driving.

Ms Morton allegedly ran a red light at the Hoddle St intersection of the Eastern Freeway on August 20 last year.

Richmond uniform patrol cops lit Ms Morton up and pulled the former private schoolgirl over at Abbotsford.

Ms Morton was ordered to take a breatho which allegedly returned a reading of 0.87.

Police then placed Ms Morton in the back of their divisional van.

Ms Morton, a graduate of elite Toorak private boarding school St Catherine’s, elected to fight the drink-driving charge at court.

Ms Morton, who is from a prominent NSW Riverina farming family, came to court armed with a top legal defence headed by specialist driving-offence barrister Warwick Walsh-Buckley.

Mr Walsh-Buckley told the court his client’s matter was yet to resolve due to multiple issues.

Ms Morton was thrown in the back of a divvy van.

“(There was an) unreasonable time (police) incarcerated her in the police divisional van … this is relevant,” Mr Walsh-Buckley said.

Mr Walsh-Buckley also said the preliminary breath test reading disclosed prior to the last court date was “inconsistent” with the breathalyser reading in “regards to the rise and fall”.

Mr Walsh-Buckley, who called for a two-day contested hearing, told the court a report from a doctor obtained by the defence “opined” Ms Morton’s blood alcohol content was .036 at the time she drove.

The defence also submitted a police doctor reported it was the “predictable same-old” preliminary breath test which was “not accurate”.

Magistrate Malcolm Thomas set the matter down for a two-day contested hearing slated to commence on November 19.

Mr Walsh-Buckley also attempted to downplay the seriousness of alleged drink-driving offending when he was informed media was interested in the matter.

“We don’t see how it’s in the public interest (to release charge sheets),” he said.

“It’s a simple, boring, plain old drink driving … must be a slow news day.”

Ms Morton also allegedly ran a red light.

According to information released by the Victorian Transport Accident Commission, one in five drivers killed on the state’s roads have a blood alcohol concentration of .05 or higher.

According to the TAC, driving while under the influence of alcohol affects perception, vision, concentration, reaction time and causes drowsiness – all of which increase the risk of a crash.

“If everyone avoided driving after drinking, the number of road fatalities could be reduced by up to 20 per cent,” according to a TAC statement.

“That’s around fifty lives that could be saved every year.”

The TAC also listed issues which can affect drivers with a BAC between 0.08 and 0.12.

These issues include euphoria, overestimation of one’s abilities and impaired peripheral vision and perception of obstacles.

Drivers are also up to “10 times more likely to have an accident”.

Ms Morton will front court at a later date.