A Woodend woman has been fined for her ninth drink-driving offence, which she clocked up while awaiting an appeal against a prior prison sentence for drink-driving.
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Larni Unwin was convicted and fined $1200, plus $124.50 in costs, in the Castlemaine Magistrates’ Court on Monday for drink-driving and driving while disqualified.
Unwin was caught driving in Woodend in December last year with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.041.
While that was below the maximum legal limit, Unwin’s licence was suspended.
She was also on appeal bail at that time after appealing a four-month prison sentence for a May 2017 drink-driving offence.
Unwin had been caught drink-driving seven times prior to the May and December incidents, the first in 2013 when she had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.191.
In 2015, she was found drink-driving on two occasions with readings of 0.139 and 0.174, and placed on a 12-month community corrections order.
But she breached this order with another four drink-driving offences. The highest reading among those offences was 0.163.
When her appeal in relation to the May 2017 offence was heard in February this year, Unwin told the Bendigo County Court she would not drink-drive again.
“I don’t care what it takes or how hard it is, this will never happen again,” she said.
The appeal was successful and she was released from custody after serving 57 days, having been taken into custody after the December incident.
She was also placed on a two-year community corrections order.
On Monday, Unwin’s lawyer Jacob Mildren said his client had been doing well since her release and had not reoffended.
Mr Mildren said Unwin was working five days a week, and attending drug and alcohol counselling. “She’s in a good place,” he said.
In addition to ordering the fine, Magistrate Michael King cancelled Unwin’s licence and disqualified her from driving for 12 months.
Dr King noted Unwin had taken positive steps and was engaging well with her community corrections order.
But he reminded her of the seriousness of driving while disqualified, and particularly, driving under the influence of alcohol.
Dr King warned Unwin that she risked going to prison if she were to re-offend.
An application from the police prosecutor to confiscate Unwin’s vehicle was adjourned to next month.
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