Three times over limit so Redlands mayor Karen Williams loses licence

A southeast Queensland mayor has been sentenced to 80 hours of community service and lost her ­licence for six months after pleading guilty to drink-driving.

Redlands mayor Karen Williams. Picture: Matthew Poon

A southeast Queensland mayor has been sentenced to 80 hours of community service and lost her ­licence for six months after pleading guilty to drink-driving.

Redlands mayor Karen Williams faced Cleveland Magistrates Court on Monday morning and was charged with one count of driving more than three times over the legal blood-alcohol limit.

Ms Williams crossed four lanes before crashing a council-owned Lexus into a fence and tree at an intersection in Cleveland on June 23; her blood-alcohol reading was at 0.177 per cent, the court heard.

The mayor confirmed she had drunk four glasses of wine after handing down the Redlands ­budget.

Shortly before the crash, she had held a Zoom meeting with families who had lost children to drink drivers.

Ms Williams left court with no fine or conviction recorded and it is understood she will retain her role as mayor.

“I would like to actually ­acknowledge the fact that I’ve upset, disappointed and angered people who have put their trust in me and for that I unreservedly apologise again,” Ms Williams said outside court.

“I know I have hard work to do and I will regain that trust as I ­return to work a bit later this week.”

Protesters calling for Ms Williams’s resignation gathered outside the court, some holding signs that read “Mayor must resign” and “No confidence, no respect”.

Local Government Minister Steven Miles last month sought advice from his department on whether the state government could act to suspend or dismiss Ms Williams.

“I think the mayor should consider what her community would think and I think her community would be saying her position now is untenable and she should make the right decision and resign,” he said at the time.

On Monday, Mr Miles confirmed there was “no appropriate ministerial action” now the court case had concluded.

“What happens from here is up to her,” he said.