Brianna Reaney sentenced after drink driving on EastLink, Wantirna Rd

A boozed-up teacher drove erratically on EastLink and suburban Ringwood roads not far from where she used to teach students.

Brianna Reaney, 27, leaves Ringwood Magistrates’ Court after being sentenced for drink driving on February 22, 2023. Picture: Kiel Egging.

A young teacher from Melbourne’s east was more than three times over the blood alcohol limit when she went on an erratic driving spree on EastLink and nearby roads in Ringwood.

Brianna Reaney, 27, a former teacher at Old Orchard Primary School in Blackburn North, pleaded guilty to drink driving at Ringwood Magistrates’ Court on February 22.

The court heard Reaney downed a few knock-off drinks given to her at her other job at a Brunswick bar on December 4, 2021, and was later spotted driving erratically in her grey Volkswagen hatch by another motorist on EastLink about 5.30am.

Reaney was observed slowing down to speeds as low as 10km/h, swerving between lanes and stopping temporarily in the middle of the Mullum Mullum tunnel.

She eventually sped back up to 125km/h and got off at the Canterbury Rd exit, with the other driver alerting police.

Reaney later headed down Wantirna Rd towards Eastland and drove on the opposite side of the road, almost colliding head-on with an approaching police car.

Officers swerved out of her way to avoid a collision, before pursuing Reaney further down Wantirna Rd and into Thanet Ct, where they were able block her in.

She was later taken to Ringwood police station where she recorded a blood alcohol reading of .179, and had her driver’s licence immediately suspended.

When asked about her wild driving, Reaney said she was tired and had been drinking spirits after finishing her shift at the Brunswick bar.

Her defence lawyer, Darryl Burnett, said his client had sought support from a psychologist since the incident and had made “a remarkable improvement” in her demeanour.

Mr Burnett acknowledged his client was at the start of her journey to regain her driver’s license and would be “off the road for a while and have a financial penalty”.

Magistrate Tony Parsons spared Reaney a conviction but fined her $750 and disqualified her for driving for two years from the incident date.

She will be able to reapply for her driver’s licence in December, and Mr Parsons told Reaney her driving on the night could have had “devastating” consequences.

“Everyone in this courtroom uses these roads, we expect them to be safe places, surely you understand that,” he said.

“You have just started your career and have the potential to make huge contribution (to society), just make sure alcohol doesn’t derail that path.”