St Albans woman Ashley Marmara pleaded guilty to dangerous driving after causing a serious collision while driving unlicensed
A St Albans woman who caused a serious collision while driving dangerously and unlicensedhas told a Melbourne court the accident was ‘huge wake up call”.
South East
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A St Albans woman caught driving dangerously, unlicensed and under the influence of drugs twice in one night has pleaded guilty in a Melbourne court.
Ashley Marmara, 30, front Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday January 25.
Marmara was caught by police speeding and drifting at 3am in June last year.
The court heard during the interaction with officers Marmara admitted to being on drugs and having a suspended licence.
Marmara got behind the wheel again just three hours later, after which she “ploughed into the back of another person’s car”.
The accident left Marmara in hospital with serious injuries.
Marmara told the court the accident had been a “huge wake up call”.
“It was a realisation for me, it’s been a huge wake up call for me your honour,” she said.
“I’ve never really had the support or guidance from my family. I’ve grown up very quickly, I’ve had to learn things on my own.
“I’ve finally had the opportunity now, and the realisation that it’s never too late to fix things. I’m confident that I can do it. I do sincerely apologise and I’m glad nobody was hurt severely.”
The court heard Marmara, a factory worker, had been couch-surfing and paying upwards of $500 a week for Ubers due to her licence suspension.
“I travel from St Albans to Laverton. On public transport it would take up to two and a half hours, rather than the 25-minute drive,” she said.
Magistrate Stephen Lee said Marmara’s circumstances were “compelling”.
“You’ve pleaded guilty at the earliest possible stage and you’re clearly remorseful,” he said.
“You are trying to improve yourself at the age of 30, which I’m taking into account.”
Magistrate Lee said Marmara’s sentencing would be focused on rehabilitation.
“Try and address all those things that went wrong that morning. If those circumstances happen again, you need to make better decisions,” he said.
“Let’s hope this is a wake up call for you.”
Marmara was sentenced to a corrections order lasting 18 months, 100 hours of unpaid community work and a nine-month licence cancellation.
gemma.scerri@news.com.au
