An Albury magistrate has rejected a lawyer's submission her client should not be convicted for repeatedly driving while disqualified because she had moved interstate for several years.
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Tony Murray told solicitor Louise Dart that if that was the rationale applied, then others would take the same approach in order that they too avoid a conviction.
They would, Mr Murray suggested, simply move to another jurisdiction, to another state, for perhaps a few years then return with the assumption that this would lead to a far lesser penalty.
"(And) so she moves away with no penalty, in your terms," he put to Ms Dart.
Jaymelee St George fronted Albury Local Court in relation to five driving while disqualified offences offences committed in the Sydney area almost seven years ago.
These included offences on February 20 and June 15, 2017.
St George, of the outer Sydney suburb of Mount Vernon, had been convicted in her absence after failing to front court on the matters.
Ms Dart said it was notable that since 2017 St George had not had any more driving offences in either Queensland, where she had moved to, or NSW.
"She ceased driving while disqualified at all," she said.
Ms Dart said that had to work in St George's favour, pointing out her client had made "significant rehabilitation since that time".
She said St George had an illicit drug addiction in 2017 and had been suffering as a victim of domestic violence.
Ms Dart said St George, who had four children under the age of 12, was now clean from drugs, and had been driving legally since regaining her driver's licence.
She submitted that St George would benefit from a lengthy bond without conviction,.
Further, Ms Dart said to disqualify St George's licence "would not serve the purpose of sentencing, particularly rehabilitation".
She pointed out that St George, with young children to care for, was the only person in her family with a licence.
Mr Murray said St George's rehabilitation in recent years was "very much in her favour".
And he said the court had to sentence St George in line with legislation in place back in 2017.
Mr Murray said there was choice but to record convictions.
"The problem for the court in my view is the seriousness of the offences," he said.
Mr Murray also noted that had the repeat disqualified driving charges been dealt with at the time, the threshold for a custodial sentence would have been "well and truly crossed".
St George was convicted and fined $200 on each of the second-offence driving while disqualified charges and $100 on a remaining charge.
She was disqualified from driving for two years.