Drunk driver handed lifetime licence ban after blowing nearly five times over the limit

A Boyup Brook woman has been told she will never get behind the wheel of a car again after another drink-driving offence in which she blew close to five times the legal limit. Jane Margaret Mitchell, 58, was driving home from Collie on July 16 when she was pulled over by police on the Donnybrook-Boyup Brook Road about 11.45am. A breath test returned a positive blood alcohol result of 0.241. The court was told it was Mitchell’s third drink-driving offence, with the most recent being heard in Bunbury Magistrate’s Court on July 1, where her licence was suspended until 2023. Public defender Gemma Horstman said the Boyup Brook woman had struggled with alcohol addiction for the past two years after the death of a number of close friends and a bout of depression. The court was told Mitchell was considering a move to Darwin for an extended stay to help her battle with substance abuse issues. The prosecution pushed Magistrate Michelle Pontifex to order a term of imprisonment given how quickly Mitchell violated the last court order, but she decided against it, instead handing the woman a $3150 fine and a permanent driving ban. Ms Pontifex told Mitchell she would end up in jail for any future traffic offences. “That’s how seriously our community takes road safety,” she said. Mitchell was also handed a $400 fine and further nine-month ban for driving with a suspended licence.