Mother, 30, admits to picking up her daughter from school while more than five times over the legal alcohol limit – just hours after her license was disqualified for drink driving
- A mother who was charged with drink driving had left court only hours earlier
- Teachers called police when Caroline Throwden arrived at school drunk
- The 30-year-old was taken to Nelson Bay police station, where she blew 0.252
- Incident occurred hours her license was suspended for a separate offence
A mother has admitted to trying to pick up her daughter from school while intoxicated, just hours after her license was suspended for a separate drink driving offence.
School teachers called police when an intoxicated Caroline Ashthore Throwden arrived at her six-year-old daughter’s school in Salamander Bay, in NSW’s Hunter region, on March 11.
Her two-year-old son was with her at the time, and officers who arrived on the scene noted she was swaying and slurring her words.
The 30-year-old was taken to Nelson Bay police station, where she blew 0.252 – five times over the legal limit.
School teachers called police when Caroline Ashthore Throwden (right) arrived at her six-year-old daughter’s school in Salamander Bay, in NSW’s Hunter region
Just three hours earlier, the 30-year-old was disqualified from getting behind the wheel for three months and placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond for a second drink driving incident.
On Monday, Throwden pleaded guilty to high range drink driving in Raymond Terrace Local Court, where her previous drink driving conviction was revealed.
Police are now hoping to also charge her for driving while disqualified.
Throwden pleaded guilty to high range drink driving in Raymond Terrace Local Court (pictured) on Monday
Because her conviction was so new, police were unaware she was not allowed to be driving during her second arrest and she made no mention of it to officers.
She did admit to driving to the school, but swore she was intending on walking home with her children.
Police said: ‘she smelt strongly of alcohol, was a little unsteady on her feet, the whites of her eyes were dark and appeared bloodshot and her speech was slurred’.
‘There is a large number of children that attend [the school]… and that coupled with the extremely high alcohol reading had the potential for a catastrophic outcome,’ police said.
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