The three offences occurred in Hay. Photo: Wikipedia.
A Hay woman has been convicted of driving while under the influence of drugs on three occasions over a six-week period, including an offence outside her child’s school.
Jasmine Dickson, 30, had her licence suspended for eight months and was put on a good behaviour bond for 12 months at Griffith Local Court on Wednesday (30 July).
She pleaded guilty to driving with an illicit drug present in her blood on Leonard Street on 11 September 2024, on Cadell Street on 10 October 2024 and out the front of Hay Public School on 16 October 2024.
According to the police report, she told officers, “I’ll never stop use so good luck” and, “I smoke cannabis every day” when they approached her for drug testing.
On 16 October 2024, police stopped her in her black Ford Ranger outside the school at about 1:44 pm, a time when children were outside playing. Ms Dickson said she was running late to pick her child up. The police report said she started swearing at officers when they pulled her over, using words such as f*** and c***.
She tested negative to a breath test for alcohol but positive to methamphetamine and cannabis in her blood.
The police report stated Ms Dickson had a total disregard for her passengers, herself and other road users and had expressed a willingness to continue to commit offences while driving. She had driven while affected by drugs with children in her car.
“These matters are approaching the point where the court has no other option other than imprisonment,” Magistrate Pauline Wright told her.
The magistrate noted that Ms Dickson was suffering from an illicit drug addiction and needed counselling. It was also noted that Ms Dickson was a carer who looked after her partner.
Ms Dickson is required to undertake a traffic offender intervention program, a course which will teach her the skills necessary to develop positive attitudes towards driving and develop safer driving behaviours. She will also be supervised by a corrections officer while on her good behaviour bond until 29 July 2026.
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