A drink driver who crashed her car into a school fence, a fire hydrant and a median strip was caught after her car’s number plate fell off at the scene.
Brooke Keenan, 32, of Shepparton, pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to drink driving and failing to report a collision to police.
Prosecutor Senior Constable Luke Lund told the court Keenan was driving along Hamilton St in Shepparton at 2.20am on January 27, before she crashed into the fence at the former McGuire College as she attempted to turn into Wilmot Rd.
Keenan also collided with a fire hydrant, before continuing on to Wilmot Rd where she hit a median strip.
She then drove home, where she moved her housemate’s car out of the driveway to allow her to put her vehicle in the backyard to hide it, before putting her housemate’s car back in the driveway, Sen Constable Lund said.
Police found the number plate from Keenan’s car at the crash scene and traced it to her house.
She was breath tested a little over an hour after the crash and recorded a blood alcohol content of 0.143 — almost three times the legal limit.
The court heard Keenan told police at the time she had drank nine cans of Jack Daniels and four shots of Cointreau.
She said she did not tell police about the collision because “you guys scare the s*** out of me”, Sen Constable Lund said.
The court also heard she had no prior offences.
Representing herself in court, Keenan said she had been drinking on Australia Day and the road was wet that night and she “lost control of the car”.
In fining Keenan $300, magistrate Victoria Campbell said she took into account Keenan’s honesty with police, and that she was a single parent who was finding it hard to get work because she did not have a licence.
No conviction was recorded.
Keenan was also disqualified from driving for 14 months — backdated to January 27.