A drink-driver who almost hit a police officer after failing to stop at a breath-testing site has been jailed. Tracy Ann Doueal, 31, of Willunga Street, Portland, pleaded guilty to eight charges that included exceeding the prescribed concentration of alcohol, driving in a manner dangerous, driving in breach of licence conditions, failing to obey the lawful direction of police and using an unregistered motor vehicle.
The Portland Magistrates Court heard Doueal approached a breath testing station while driving a Holden station wagon along Cliff Street about 9.50pm on May 30 this year.
One officer was forced to take evasive action as her car moved through the area without slowing down. Police yelled at Doueal to stop, prompting her to pull over about 20 metres away. She was later breath- tested and returned a result of .067.
The mother of two had a zero blood-alcohol condition on her driver’s licence and was using a car fitted with an interlock. Police prosecutor Sergeant Liam Gardner said it was unclear how the vehicle had been started.
Defence counsel Amanda Chambers said her client recognised that she had a drinking problem and planned to treat time in jail as the start of a detox program. She said Doueal, who had her then 12-year-old son in the car when she offended, didn’t see the breath-testing area until moving through it.
Magistrate Jonathan Klestadt said the incident could have had tragic consequences and should be seen as a wake-up call. He activated a suspended two-week prison sentence that Doueal was given in May and urged her to make use of services for alcohol dependency on her release. The 31-year-old was sentenced to a total of six months’ jail on the latest charges, suspended for a year. She was also placed on a 12-month community-based order and disqualified from driving for 18 months.
Source: The Warrnambool Standard 8 August 2011
