A magistrate has had to stop a woman from giving evidence after it became clear she was badly affected by alcohol or medication.
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Debbie McGrath was making slow, but certainly not steady, progress towards the Albury Local Court witness box when Tony Murray suddenly brought it all to an end.
“No, no, no,” he remonstrated as the Bellbridge grandmother looked down at one foot as she tried to lift it onto a step, having made her approach with a widely splayed gait.
“Make her step down.”
Just moments earlier, he picked up that something was not right with McGrath, who was facing sentence on Tuesday for having a high-range range prescribed concentration of alcohol.
“Has the lady been drinking today?” Mr Murray asked.
“She’s obviously unsteady on her feet.”
Mr Murray said it was obvious from a pre-sentence report and McGrath’s appearance that she had a major problem with alcohol.
McGrath, 44, pleaded guilty to the charge when she appeared in court two months ago.
Her reading of 0.324 was almost seven times the legal limit, though she told the arresting officers she reckoned she had consumed only “a glass of wine at home about 12’ish and a kebab”.
Mr Murray said it was the medical opinion of some that a person could not possibly still be alive with a reading of 0.30.
McGrath’s solicitor admitted the reading was extremely high, though in her defence said she had no history of similar offending and had already gotten rid of her car.
But Mr Murray made clear to McGrath what she might face.
“You’re a real risk of going to jail,” he said.
McGrath butted in with a response of “yeah, too right”.
Mr Murray motioned at her to stop talking then told her he did not think she was “thoroughly aware of what’s going on today”.
McGrath “clearly” had a “very bad problem with alcohol,” he said.
The court heard in early December how police went to Buchhorn Street in Lavington on November 5 after receiving reports of someone having crashed into a parked car.
McGrath’s breath smelt strongly of alcohol and her speech was slurred.
The police quickly formed the opinion she was “highly intoxicated”
Mr Murray warned McGrath on Tuesday to make sure she was sober when she fronted court again for sentence.
That is due to take place on February 25.
