The CEO of an Aboriginal Corporation for Robinson River has appeared in Darwin local court after a run of bad luck, starting with a over-spicy chicken strip and ending with the humiliation of going on the banned drinker register.
Carrie Altamura's defence barrister Eric Withnall requested judge Ben O'Loughlin consider not imposing a conviction.
Barrister Withnall: "I'll take you through a brief summary of the circumstances.
"Ms Altmara is a 63-year-old woman.
"She is a law-abiding citizen. She's gainfully employed. She's the CEO of an Aboriginal Corporation that provides services to a remote community.
"She has been subjected to a banned drinker order that expired on the 25th September.
"She's accepted that. She understands this is not on."
"I'm instructed that on the relevant occasion she was driving back from Robinson River.
"She wasn't generally intoxicated. She had had a beer during the trip.
"When she arrived at Katherine, she was quite hungry and purchased a spicy chicken strip or similar product from a Katherine servo.
"The spice caught her by surprise. She opened a beer that was available to her and has taken a big swig of it.
"She's driven through an RBT.
"This is not in character for her. She regrets the incident. She understands she needs to set a good example in the [inaudible] she operates in.
"Particularly when that community has a high level of offending. She understands she needs to set a better example.
"She's contributed to the community substantially. She's a long term Darwin resident.
"We suggest that despite the road toll being what it is, this was not premeditated offending. This was not a situation of someone having had a few drinks at a party and thinking I'll risk it.
"It's a different type of behaviour. Given that she's already received some coercive measures in the form of [inaudible]."
Her barrister also brought up the registration.
"The vehicle was in the name of the Aboriginal corporation she works for. She didn't realise it wasn't registered."
In delivering his sentence, judge O'Loughlin said she's just within low range.
"We have a 63-year-old woman with no priors. Returned a reading of 0.056, so just above the offence level of low range.
"Car was also unregistered and uninsured. It had been for quite a few months.
"It belonged to the organisation. She's the CEO of the organisation, so she bares some responsibility as CEO for having [inaudible] to check the registration."
The judge referred to a "body of regulatory offences" from a decisions involving "Justice Southwood" when making his decision, which went over our head.
"Ultimately though, I will exercise my discretion not to record a conviction for counts one, two and three."
$1,100 fine plus three victim's levies were imposed, and the extra-curial punishment of a write up in the Mango.
We are The Mango Inquirer.
