Zita Margaret Mackenzie pleads guilty in Mackay Magistrates court to driving and drug offences
The 56-year-old Mackay woman caught driving when she had never held a licence in Australia told a court she got her cocktail of drugs from a ‘man on the street’.
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A woman who had never held a driving licence in Australia was caught driving with a mixture of drugs in her possession when police intercepted her driving a car that had not been registered since 2016.
Zita Margaret Mackenzie told police at the time she was dependent on “speed”, and had bought the drugs from “a man on the street”.
The court heard the drugs included two alprax tablets contained in a clip seal bag which police found in the 56-year-old’s handbag.
They also found a zion, tramadol, serapax, and cosapan tablets in her possession which she claimed she had also bought from “the man”.
During another of the 56-year-old’s several unlicensed drives, she had fuelled up at a Racecourse petrol station and driven away without paying in March 2018.
The court heard Mackenzie had most recently been caught driving again without a licence in August 2021.
She pleaded guilty in Mackay Magistrates Court to eight charges, including two unlicensed driving, possessing a restricted drug, possessing a controlled drug, shoplifting, driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, and contravening a police requirement.
Mackenzie informed the court she no longer used illicit substances.
Magistrate Dwyer took into account Mackenzie’s driving history, which dated back to 2005.
“You have a long history of driving without a license,” Mr Dwyer said.
Mackenzie was convicted and fined $1200.
She was ordered to pay $72.02 restitution and disqualified from obtaining a license for three months.
The conviction was recorded.
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Originally published as Zita Margaret Mackenzie pleads guilty in Mackay Magistrates court to driving and drug offences
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