The offence occured at the Hillston Exies carpark. Photo: Facebook Hillston Ex-servicemen’s Club.
A woman who reversed out of a car parking space and then immediately drove back into it while under the influence of alcohol escaped a conviction at Griffith Local Court on Wednesday (18 June).
According to court documents, Tarisha Kerr, 25, had consumed around four Hard Solo midis during a night out at the Hillston Ex-servicemen’s Club on 31 May.
At around 11:45 pm she was reversing her white Kia hatchback out of a parking space at the club, when she appeared to notice police travelling on High Street. She re-entered the car parking space and quickly got out of the car and walked to the passenger side of the vehicle.
An officer approached Ms Kerr and informed her that her actions were recorded on police body cam. She was given a blood alcohol breath test which recorded a reading of 0.81, considered to be a mid-range offence.
The police report noted that under the law, the Hillston Club car park is considered a public road.
Ms Kerr pleaded guilty to the offence of mid-range drunk driving at her Griffith Court appearance. Her lawyer Olivia Harris told the court her client felt she was OK to drive home from the car park that night but changed her mind when she saw the police. She was remorseful for her actions.
While such an offence generally leads to a driver losing their licence for six months, Magistrate Pauline Wright decided this would not apply in this case, given the defendant’s clean record.
“You are a person who is of good character, based on the testimonials I have read,” Magistrate Wright said.
The magistrate said driving under the influence was a very serious offence, but accepted that as she was a nurse at the hospital and also completing her nursing degree, she needed to drive a car for work and study.
Magistrate Wright found Ms Kerr guilty but said she would not record a conviction. She was instead sentenced to a Conditional Release Order for a period of 12 months to commence on 18 June 2025 and expiring on 17 June 2026. This means she could be convicted if she records another driving offence within that timeframe.
wow, where was this Bethany? View