NRL team media officer admits drink driving after crash
Rex Martinich |
An NRL team public relations worker who guided her club through a player’s drug-driving crisis has herself admitted crashing into parked cars while more than three times the alcohol limit.
Broncos media officer Melissa Telhia Mallet, 39, faced Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday on one count of high-range drink driving.
Mallet is the third person linked to the Broncos to be charged with drink or drug driving in the past 10 months.
Broncos player Ezra Mam was driving his ute when it collided with an Uber at Bardon, in Brisbane’s west, on October 18, injuring a woman and child.
Mam pleaded guilty to drug driving and driving without a licence, receiving an $850 fine and a licence suspension for six months.
Broncos former premiership player Steve Renouf last week apologised after allegedly being caught by police driving in Brisbane with a 0.197 blood alcohol concentration.
Magistrate Joseph Pinder on Tuesday asked Ms Mallet how she would plead to the charge.
“Guilty, Your Honour,” Mallet said.
Police prosecutor Paul McPhee told Mr Pinder that officers responded to a traffic crash at 9.45pm on June 2 in the inner Brisbane suburb of Paddington.
“Police when they arrived observed members of the public on the street and numerous vehicles damaged,” he said.
“It appeared a car had run into numerous parked cars.”
Sergeant McPhee said police spoke to Mallet, who said she had been driving and her tests returned with a 0.156 blood-alcohol concentration.
“(Mallet) appeared confused and had slurred speech. She was asked to provide a recollection of the incident but said she was unable to,” he said.
Mallet told police she had consumed four or five glasses of wine prior to the incident.
Defence solicitor Michael Kelly said Mallet had shown remorse by pleading guilty as soon as possible and had immediately booked herself into rehabilitation.
He said Mallet was “deeply embarrassed” by media attention on her case.
“The car that she hit bumped into another car. She has spoken to the owners of both those vehicles and apologised,” Mr Kelly said.
“She is personally liable for the cost.”
Mr Pinder said Mallet’s offence was very concerning as she was more than three times the legal limit and it was only good luck that nobody was injured.
“You displayed signs of being severely intoxicated,” he said.
“Undoubtedly the accident that occurred, with you crashing into two parked cars, was a consequence of your inability to control your motor vehicle because you were drunk.”
Mr Pinder said Mallet’s driving history was “not particularly flattering” but she had no prior drink-driving charges.
“The conduct is uncharacteristic. Your employer speaks highly of you … you present as a person who is very unlikely to reoffend,” Mr Pinder said.
Mallet was fined $1000 and disqualified from holding a licence for nine months with no conviction recorded.
She declined to comment as she left court.
Renouf is due to face Brisbane Magistrates Court on July 16.
AAP
