Bianca Harrington: Bail for alleged stoned death driver
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Harrington was suspended and an L-plater when the alleged incident occurred
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A YOUNG mother who allegedly killed an aged care nurse while driving on a suspended licence and high on prohibited drugs has been granted bail in the Supreme Court.
Mother-of-one, Bianca Harrington cried throughout her bail hearing in which it was revealed police will allege the 20-year-old had a cocktail of illicit drugs in her system when she crashed head-on into a vehicle being driven by aged care nurse Kay Shaylor, 62, on Mann St Gosford about 6am on September 3.
The crash killed the older woman.
Harrington, whose Learner’s licence was suspended, has not entered a plea to charges of dangerous driving and negligent driving occasioning death.
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Justice Desmond Fagan said the case against Harrington was strong.
“It is a very strong case she was on the wrong side of the road, a highly inexperienced driver, she was overtaking when it was not safe to do so and she had been driving in an erratic manner according to witnesses before the crash,” he said.
But Justice Fagan said despite the “really significant risk,” of her driving again he would grant her bail saying the dangers could be addressed by banning her from entering the driver’s seat of a car, putting her on a strict daily curfew and not allowing her to leave home unless in the company of her mother or sister-in-law.
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The court heard police had recently received a toxicology report which allegedly showed she had a number of illegal drugs in her blood stream that morning.
Previously it had been reported that Harrington allegedly told police that she had smoked "five bongs," before driving.
Her Legal Aid lawyer Paul Hopley told Justice Fagan that it could take several months before forensic pharmacologist Judith Perl completed her report on how significantly Harrington's driving would have been impaired by the drugs in her blood stream.
Harrington would likely begin "negotiations" with the Crown after the report is completed but would have to wait in custody until then, he said.
Crown Solicitor Colin Shaw opposed bail saying Harrington had already shown that she would not obey the law because she had driven while suspended — killing someone.
"She has recently demonstrated that she is not willing to abide by the rules as imposed by the court ... the Crown has serious concerns about her state of mind," he said.
Justice Fagan revealed Harrington had only had her Learner's licence since the beginning of this year.
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On May 22 she had her licence suspended after she was caught driving with other passengers in the vehicle who did not have a full driver's licence.
Justice Fagan said that she had behaved, "completely irresponsibly and in disregard to the law," but he felt the risk of her driving again could be "addressed and kept to a minimum."
Harrington was ordered to live at her mother's house at Umina, observe an 8am to 8pm curfew, not drive, not drink alcohol and not leave the house without her mother or sister-in-law.
Her case will return to court on October 25.
Harrington was suspended and an L-plater when the alleged incident occurred