Katherine Susanne Ovsienko, 37, of Stewart Street in Bathurst, convicted for driving while disqualified

Katherine Susanne Ovsienko, 37, of Stewart Street in Bathurst, did not appear to answer a charge of driving while disqualified (first offence), instead giving a written plea of guilt to the court.

In dealing with the matter ex-parte, Magistrate Rabbidge noted the accused was caught driving just 23 days after being disqualified.

Police documents handed to the court said police saw a black Suzuki Swift travelling east on Eglinton Road in Abercrombie at about 8.50pm on April 28, 2023.

Police activated their warning lights and the female driver stopped.

A roadside breath test produced a negative result, but police checks revealed Ovsienko's licence was disqualified for three months from April 5, 2023.

When asked, Ovsienko used her mobile phone to display her licence, which said "Disqualified C Class", according to the police documents.

She told police she failed a roadside drug test in November 2022 and the matter had been heard in Bathurst Local Court on April 5, 2023.

Police said Ovsienko told them she didn't attend court as she missed the date. She told police she called the court and was told the matter had been heard and there was a fine coming in the mail with court costs and something else attached to it.

Police checks showed Ovsienko's matter was dealt with on that date and her licence was disqualified.

She was issued a court attendance notice.

In her written plea of guilt, Ovsienko said that when she committed the offence of driving while disqualified, she was unaware that she was unlicensed.

"I had missed my court hearing on the 5th of April and two weeks after my court date, I received my new licence in the mail and when I checked online, my digital licence was still active," she said.

However, she also acknowledged she should have followed up the matter.

Ovsienko was convicted, fined $700 and disqualified from driving for six months.

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