Margaret Jane Stephenson: Retiree sentenced for high-range drink driving at Ballina in northern NSW

A Northern Rivers drink driver hopped behind the wheel well over the limit, smashed into a bollard and then denied the crash – but left her car’s bumper and number plate behind.

Margaret Jane Stephenson pleaded guilty to high-range drink driving.

A Ballina retiree who hopped behind the wheel at more than three times the legal alcohol limit hit a bollard and denied the smash – but left her “severely damaged” car’s bumper and number plate behind.

Margaret Jane Stephenson fronted Byron Local Court and pleaded guilty to high-range drink driving.

Documents handed up to the court on Monday state the 74-year-old drank half a bottle of wine at a friend’s house early in the evening of May 11.

Stephenson was driving home along Kerr St in Ballina in a silver Hyundai i30 hatchback when she “mounted” a centre road island and crashed into a high-visibility bollard, court documents state.

The bollard was destroyed and the crash in the rain on a dark night ripped off the car’s front bumper – with the number plate still attached, the court was told.

Margaret Jane Stephenson was on a community correction order when she offended, the court heard.

Documents state Stephenson pulled over about 100 metres down the road, but when police arrived and asked what happened she initially denied the crash.

Officers noticed the car was “severely damaged” and missing a number plate and they could smell alcohol on Stephenson, according to the documents.

Police described Stephenson as “unsteady” on her feet, “confused” and using “slow” speech.

The drink driver blew a blood alcohol reading of 0.153 and she was arrested.

Stephenson’s lawyer Sally McPherson told the court her client went to alcohol counselling and had completed the Traffic Offender Intervention Program.

“The offender is three month’s alcohol free and she shows a lot of insight into the offending,” she said.

The lawyer said Stephenson “was just into the high-range reading and did not have any passengers” on the night.

Margaret Jane Stephenson was represented by lawyer Sally McPherson at Byron Bay Court House. Picture: Savannah Pocock

Magistrate Kathy Crittenden said Stephenson was facing her second alcohol-related offence which had come before the courts.

“It’s a significant factor you had a collision – luckily nobody was hurt or injured. But, it could have been the case,” she said.

In a letter to the magistrate, Stephenson described her offending as “disastrous” and said it had acted as a “shocking wake-up call”.

Stephenson came before the court with “limited” criminal history, but was serving a community correction order for the different matter linked to alcohol.

She was sentenced to serve a nine-month intensive correction order and must complete 50 hours of community service work.

Stephenson was convicted, her driver’s licence was disqualified for a year and she was ordered to complete a safe driving course

Originally published as Margaret Jane Stephenson: Retiree sentenced for high-range drink driving at Ballina in northern NSW