Supreme Court Judge fined and disqualified from driving

A Supreme Court judge who hit a cyclist whilst drink-driving has been fined $1,300 and disqualified from driving for eight months and 14 days.

Justice Anne Bampton, 51, appeared before Adelaide Magistrates court this week to hear her sentence after pleading guilty to driving with excess blood alcohol and driving without due care.

Bampton during more sober times

Bampton collided with a female cyclist on 30th November last year, when she recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.121 – more than twice the legal limit. Witnesses said they saw the judge veering in her lane before she hit the cyclist. She suffered a bloody nose, but thankfully nothing more serious.

Bampton was ordered to pay costs of $696 to the police for impounding her car and a staggering $10 to the cyclist for a broken bicycle light. For the next 12 months she is also prohibited from sitting on cases which involve a driving offence.

In court Bampton said that she was “deeply ashamed” and very sorry. Her defence lawyer said that she had “suffered much humiliation” and is “highly embarrassed”.

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Comments

An astonishingly light sentence. Sounds as if the Aussie courts as a pro-driver as the British courts. Shameful.

Actually, she received close to the maximum penalty available for a first offence of that kind. And, as any other member of the public would expect, she received favourable reductions in penalty for an early plea.

Her Honour no doubt regrets the pina coladas she socked down at the Courts Administration Authtority Christmas party which clearly gave her the courage to drive home!