Julie Harding blames car brakes after drug driving arrest on Walker Road. High cocaine levels found.
Julie Harding, a former carer, had too much cocaine in her system. Cops stopped her on Walker Road in Newcastle.
She didn’t stop at a junction. The 43-year-old admitted using cocaine, later claiming this happened two days earlier. A roadside drug test showed Harding used drugs.
Her cocaine level was 32mcg per litre of blood while the legal limit is only 10mcg. She also had 773mcg of benzoylecgonine, which comes from cocaine; the legal limit is 50mcg.
Harding admitted to drug driving twice. She appeared in Newcastle Magistrates Court where Paul Coulson, the prosecutor, spoke about that day. Police saw Harding’s Citroen miss the stop on Walker Road last November.
Coulson said she almost crashed. An officer signaled her to stop and confirmed she was the only one in the car. Coulson said Harding admitted to taking cocaine; she volunteered this information during the drug test.
Michael Crowe defended Harding, noting she had no prior offenses. He said she took cocaine a few days prior and thought she could drive safely. Crowe claimed her brakes didn’t work well, preventing her from stopping.
The magistrates wondered about the brakes. Bad brakes might explain why she missed the junction which could change her sentence. The case was delayed for a Newton Hearing. Harding must prove her brakes were faulty.
She received bail and must return to court April 7.