A FORMER Gunnedah woman who crashed her car killing her two-year-old daughter and critically injuring her baby boy allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel after smoking three or four “cones” of cannabis earlier that day, a court has heard.
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“The accused made admissions to falling asleep just prior to the collision and knowing she was tired while she was driving,” police facts state.
“The accused also made admissions to having smoked three to four ‘cones’ of cannabis through a ‘bong’ about 10am on the day of the collision. The accused also made admissions to smoking numerous ‘cones’ of cannabis the previous day.”
The court heard the woman was on district court bail at the time of the crash and is due to stand trial in Tamworth District Court next February on charges of aggravated break-and-enter in company and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company. According to her criminal history, which was tendered as part of the bail application, she has previous offences of driving while never being licensed, negligent driving and driving while suspended.
She also had several warrants which were issued for her arrest in July after she failed to appear in Muswellbrook Local Court.
Magistrate Steven Jackson granted the woman bail on the condition she not drive a motor vehicle and reside at either a home in Aberdeen or Ronald McDonald House in Newcastle, to be close to her son.
He took into account that if refused bail she would spend a long time in custody before the matter was resolved.
She is charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning death, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, driving while suspended and driving with a passenger between six months and four years unrestrained.
She was not required to enter a plea to the charges yesterday afternoon.
The woman was driving south on the New England Highway about 7pm on August 17 when the vehicle left the road about four kilometres north of Willow Tree. The car went into a grassed ditch for about 50 metres before colliding heavily with a concrete pipe, police facts state.
The woman will appear in Newcastle Local Court on October 28.