A woman already serving a jail term for the stabbing death of her partner has had her sentence for driving while disqualified reduced on appeal.
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Elise Walker, 35, appeared in the County Court in Bendigo this week to appeal the one-month prison sentence she received in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court last year for an incident that occurred in 2016.
Walker was jailed for a minimum of four years earlier this year after pleading guilty to the Christmas Eve, 2016 manslaughter of Matthew Johnson in Kangaroo Flat.
On October 8, 2016, Walker was pulled over in a routine stop on Rushworth Road in Murchison.
She told police she did not have a valid driver’s licence, and said she lost it for drink-driving.
Her two adult passengers held valid Western Australian licences.
Walker told police she took her friends for a visit at Dhurringile Prison and when she picked them up, her friend was too upset to drive.
She was also on a community corrections order at the time of the offence.
Her barrister, Angela Sharpley, told the court Walker was asked to leave the prison premises because she was not on any visitor list.
She said her client was fully co-operative with police at the time and police did not pull her over because of her driving behaviour.
Walker was undertaking as many programs as she could while in prison, Ms Sharpley said, including a drug and alcohol program, and studying a Certificate IV in animal companionship.
Ms Sharpley said she would ask for a community corrections order if her client were not already in prison, adding it was Walker’s first offence for driving while disqualified.
Judge Irene Lawson noted it was an aggravating feature that this occurred while Walker was on a community corrections order.
But she set aside the order made in the Magistrates’ Court and resentenced Walker to 14 days’ imprisonment, to be served concurrently with her current term.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
