Young motorist cops driving ban for speeding at Elmore

Chloe Hunter, 20, pleaded guilty in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Monday to exceeding the speed limit in relation to the incident last September.

The court heard police saw Hunter driving on the Northern Highway at Elmore about 8pm on September 22 and estimated she was travelling about 150 km/h.

The radar detected her her travelling at between 156 km/h and 161 km/h in a three-second period.

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Hunter told police she did not see them, and asked whether it counted for anything that she had had only three hours sleep.

Hunter’s defence counsel Gary Mrocki said his client had had very little sleep that day and did not realise she was travelling at that speed.

Mr Mrocki said Hunter’s speeding was not the result of “blatant disrespect” for the law.

He said she was studying to become a paramedic, and had no prior convictions.

She also planned to transfer registration of her car to her parents, Mr Mrocki said.

Magistrate John Murphy told Hunter she was lucky she was not charged with the more serious offence of driving at a speed dangerous, and said it was a “wicked act” to drive at such a speed.

Mr Murphy said the fact she was driving on so little sleep that day was only an aggravating factor, and reminded her that if she were to be a paramedic, she would be at the frontline of road trauma.

He convicted Hunter and fined her $1000.

Her licence was cancelled and disqualified for the mandatory 12-month minimum.

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