Mother, six-times the limit, crashed car driving to hospital

The woman received an incredible disqualification period after recording three drink-driving incidents in six-months

A MOTHER who crashed her car driving herself to the hospital while six times the legal alcohol limit was caught drink driving again just two months later.

Megan Lee Holt was disqualified for driving for a decade, after she recorded another high-range charge two months later when police pulled her over in a McDonald's car park.

She pleaded guilty in Bowen Magistrates Court to two separate incidents of high-range drink driving and driving on a disqualified licence.

The 50-year-old Collinsville woman recorded an "extremely high" reading of 0.302 about 8pm, on December 15, police prosecutor Sergeant Emma Myors said.

Sgt Myors told the court that police arrived at a residence on Toussaint St, Collinsville, where they found a stationary and unoccupied vehicle "in the middle of the street".

"The car appeared to have been in a collision, the driver side door was pinned open in the opposite direction," Sgt Myors said.

She said police spoke to a witness who reported that Holt left her residence 30 minutes earlier, but was unsure of her current location.

"A member of the public called and said they had picked up Holt and dropped her off to the Collinsville Hospital," Sgt Myors said.

"When police arrived they could strongly smell alcohol and (Holt) appeared heavily intoxicated.

"She said she was physically assaulted and wanted to drive herself to the hospital. Police asserted she had a phone and could have called triple-0 herself."

The court heard the shocking 0.302 BAC reading wasn't Holt's only instance of high-range drink-driving, with another incident in Mackay two months later marking her third high-range incident within six months.

On February 14, about 11.35pm at Mount Pleasant, police intercepted Holt in a McDonald's carpark after members of the public reported her erratic driving behaviour, Sgt Myors said.

The court heard police could smell liquor in the car, and Holt told them "just take me to jail" when they pulled her over. She recorded a BAC of 0.183.

Duty lawyer Peta Vernon conceded Holt's charges were "ugly", but Holt was trying to "get help for her alcoholism, which clearly played a part in these charges".

She said Holt recently had a hip operation which, combined with difficult life circumstances, had caused her alcoholism to go downwards.

"In Collinsville, she had been assaulted and had grazes on her legs. She wanted to drive herself to the hospital to not put anyone out of their way," Ms Vernon said.

"In the Mackay incident, she was recently discharged from hospital and needed her wounds checked and monitored regularly. She had started drinking again.

"She received a call from her mother that her father was unlikely to survive a final round of chemotherapy - he didn't - and at that time her mind would not have been in a position to make a good decision."

Magistrate Ron Muirhead said the readings were "very high" and he would not consider a suspended sentence or immediate parole.

"As you've committed three high-range offences within two years I am bound to sentence you to a term of imprisonment," he said.

"The simple fact is the court did try to assist you by giving you probation on the high-range offence you were convicted of in August last year, but that wasn't too successful."

Holt was convicted and sentenced to six months' jail, with parole set for May 17 this year. She was disqualified from driving for 10 years.

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