A restricted licence driver in her unwarranted and unregistered Mercedes Benz has admitted leaving a trail of destruction after a drunken wild ride through a Dunedin suburb.
Katherine Ann McWilliams (33), a psychology student, yesterday pleaded guilty to nine charges related to the joyride when she appeared before Judge Kevin Phillips in the Dunedin District Court.
She also pleaded guilty to two earlier unrelated charges of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.
Judge Phillips described McWilliams’ driving as ‘‘the worst ... I have heard of in many years’’.
On August 29, McWilliams drunkenly smashed into three cars in her Mercedes-Benz during the 4.3km journey in the suburb of Mornington, according to a police summary of facts.
She was seen drinking from a bottle of wine as she drove along Elgin Rd, Mornington. She crossed the centreline as she approached an S-bend and narrowly missed an oncoming vehicle. A concerned member of the public called police.
She weaved for about 1.3km before making a U-turn and accelerating heavily.
The rear wheels lost traction for 10 to 15 seconds and skid marks ran for 26m.
McWilliams drove at 70kmh back along Elgin Rd,
failing to make a right turn at Mailer St. She crashed into a retaining wall before reversing and continuing down Mailer St.
Near the driveway to the Mornington shopping area she hit a parked Ford Falcon at an estimated 65kmh, shunting the car into a road sign on the footpath. She then continued to slide down the road, hitting a second car waiting to leave the shopping area car park.
Her vehicle was moderately to seriously damaged, but McWilliams reversed, accelerated heavily and fled the scene.
She drove around and into Mailer St and through a give-way intersection without slowing.
She drove over a traffic island and smashed into a third vehicle, which had a 2-year-old in the rear seat.
Again she fled, driving into Maori Rd where she again accelerated heavily, lost traction and skidded.
McWilliams weaved along Maori Rd before ploughing into a bank. She freed herself and again accelerated heavily, leaving skid marks for 135m as the vehicle’s manoeuvrability was now affected by damage to the car.
She fled on foot and members of the public caught her about 300m away.
She was unco-operative and refused roadside breath-screening tests, the summary said.
‘‘She was arrested for breaching her bail conditions as she was smelling strongly of alcohol.’’
She refused to give evidential breath or blood tests at the Dunedin Central Police Station.
McWilliams was charged with four counts of dangerous driving, two of sustained loss of traction, two of failing to stop to ascertain injury and one of refusing to provide a blood sample to police.
She was on bail, with conditions including the alcohol prohibition, for the earlier incident where she assaulted a police officer and resisted arrest.
She pleaded not guilty to those charges earlier this month, but following the withdrawal of a disorderly behaviour charge by police yesterday she admitted the assault and resisting arrest charges.
The charges stemmed from a drunken argument with her sister on June 6.
Because of belligerent behaviour she was arrested and, at the Dunedin Central Police Station, she became agitated and unco-operative before punching out and kicking at the walls and a steel divider in the processing area.
She struggled as officers attempted to restrain her in handcuffs and back kicked one police officer twice in the leg.
‘‘The defendant was unable to be spoken with due to her intoxicated and agitated state,’’ the summary said.
Before the incidents, she had not previously appeared before the court.
Judge Phillips convicted McWilliams on all 11 counts and remanded her on bail for sentencing on November 10.
He called for a full alcohol and drug assessment of McWilliams before sentencing.
