Dapto driver high on prescription meds when she crashed into parked cars

Former child protection caseworker Jayne Schober was travelling south on a busy Princess Highway at Albion Park Rail on the morning of November 13 last year when she failed to negotiate a parking spot about 200 metres south of Creamery Road in her Volkswagon Golf.

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She hit the gutter first, before side-swiping one parked vehicle then crashing into the rear of another.

The owners of the vehicles confronted Schober and contacted police. Officers who arrived on the scene a short time later said they immediately noticed Schober's speech was slurred, her actions were sluggish and she was unsteady on her feet.

On further observation, police determined Schober was swaying on the spot, her movements were laboured and jerky, she had pinpoint, bloodshot eyes, her clothing was dishevelled and she had food smeared around her mouth.

She told police she'd used illicit drugs a month earlier and had taken the prescribed pain killer Tramadol that morning.

Police said when they asked Schober about else she may have taken, she momentarily stared off into space before saying "maybe Valium and Xanax".

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She was arrested and told to empty her pockets, at which time she produced five blister packets containing a total of 50 Tramadol tablets sold under the brand name 'Tamol XX'.

She was taken to Shellharbour Hospital for blood and urine testing where she told police she'd downed four 200mg Tramadol tablets, two Xanax tablets and three 5mg Valium tablets an hour before driving because she had "bad period pain".

Schober was released from custody pending the outcome of the tests, however subsequently issued with a notice to attend court on charges of drug driving and possessing restricted substances after the test results revealed she had six different sedatives in her system, along with pain killers and antihistamine drugs.

A pharmacologist who reviewed Schober's blood analysis determined the level of drugs in her system, especially the interaction between three of the sedatives would have impaired her driving.

Meanwhile, police also discovered the Tamol XX seized from Schober was not commercially available in Australia and can't be brought through a legal pharmacy anywhere in country.

Schober pleaded guilty to both charges in Wollongong Local Court this week, with her lawyer, Graeme Morrison, saying his client had suffered mentally after working with abused children for more than a decade in her role as a child protection caseworker.

"She turned to substance abuse to cope with the trauma she'd seen from this work," he said.

Mr Morrison said Schober had very little memory of the incident but had enrolled herself in a six-week rehabilitation program after it occurred.

He said she had relapsed on release from the program but undertook another stint and had remained sober ever since.

"She's well on the road to recovery," he said.

Magistrate Jillian Kiely said there was a strong need for general deterrence given the seriousness of the offences.

"There were a significant amount of people put in danger - she was driving on a busy highway and had three collisions, two with cars and one with the curb," she said.

However, Magistrate Kiely also found Schober had worked hard towards rehabilitating herself, having undergone treatment through intensive drug courses. She said Schober also appeared to have strong insight into her offending.

"There seems to be sincere reflection and remorse for what she's done," she said.

She sentenced Schober to a 12-month community corrections order, fined her $3,300 and banned her from driving for two years.

As part of the order, Schober must continue with her drug treatment programs.