Breanna Jade Long faces driving charges in Noosa Magistrates Court

A social media starlet has been told by a magistrate to get her alcohol use under control, saying it was “only good luck” no one was injured or killed in a Noosa crash.

Breanna Jade Long outside the Noosa Magistrates Court on December 13.

A popular Instagrammer has faced court after she rolled a vehicle in Noosa, and then fled the scene, following an afternoon of drinking bourbon and cokes.

Breanna Jade Long pleaded guilty on December 13 to dangerous driving, unlicensed driving, driving without an interlock and drink-driving.

The 20-year-old was told by Magistrate Matthew McLaughlin she needed to get on top of her drinking problem because it continued to get her into trouble with police.

Police prosecutor Allison Johnstone told the Noosa Magistrates Court that the Golden Beach resident took control of another person’s Toyota Hilux after they started driving from Caloundra to Noosa because of the way the driver was behaving.

Sergeant Johnstone said the incident occurred, near many restaurants, on November 6 at the Noosa Junction roundabout on the intersection of Noosa Drive and Sunshine Beach Rd in a 40kmh zone.

Breanna Jade Long outside the Noosa Magistrates Court on December 13.

The court was told pedestrians on a crossing had feared for their safety because of the way the vehicle was driven.

The sergeant said the car was travelling on Sunshine Beach Rd “at speed” and it clipped the roundabout and travelled sideways.

The Toyota Hilux following the crash. Picture: Contributed

The Hilux rolled before coming to rest on the driver’s side on a footpath, the court was told.

“There were nine metres of gouge and scrape marks on the roadway and the canopy of the ute detached and landed on its roof beside the vehicle,” Sergeant Johnstone said.

“All three occupants smashed both passenger-side windows to exit the vehicle.”

The court was told the driver fled with one of the occupants while the Hilux owner stayed.

The court was told Long fled with one of the other occupants while the Hilux owner stayed. Picture: Contributed

Sergeant Johnstone said plain-clothes detectives were looking for Long and she mistook their vehicle for a taxi and approached them.

The sergeant told the court she blew 0.131 per cent after drinking bourbon and cokes during the afternoon, and Long could not afford an interlock device and so had not renewed her licence.

The Golden Beach woman, who has more than 8000 Instagram followers and works at a commercial cleaner, was represented by solicitor Bruce Johnston.

The solicitor said it “was not in front of restaurants” where she lost control of the vehicle.

“It was poor judgement on the part of all people that evening,” Mr Johnston said.

The solicitor asked for a period of probation for his client and said she had a supportive mother.

He asked that no conviction be recorded on the dangerous driving charge.

Mr McLaughlin said Long needed to do something about her alcohol abuse.

“As the prosecutor says, it was just a matter of good luck that nobody was seriously injured or killed,” he said.

The magistrate sentenced her to a year’s probation and 60 hours of community service.

She was disqualified from driving for nine months.

A conviction was not recorded for the dangerous driving charge and convictions were recorded for the other offences.

Originally published as Breanna Jade Long faces driving charges in Noosa Magistrates Court