A woman banned for life from driving after a drunken crash killed her sister has been given her licence back after claiming she needed it to ferry her children around.
Candice Lee Chmieluk had been drinking at a Gold Coast surf club with her younger sister Sammy-Jo, 24, when she crashed her 4WD while four times over the alcohol limit in May 2016.
The skincare marketer pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death and was sentenced to five years in prison – of which she served only three months.
Chmieluk was banned from driving for life at the time but a judge on Friday ruled she could have her licence back on Monday, March 14 so she could drive her two seven-year-old twin daughters around the city, The Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
Candice Chmieluk, who was banned for life from driving after a drunken crash which killed her sister in 2016, has been given her licence back by a judge
Candice Chmieluk (pictured left) was on a suspended driver’s licence when she lost control of her 4WD and smashed into a light pole at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast in 2016; her sister Sammy-Jo (pictured middle) died at the scene
Chmieluk said she also needed her licence back for work and to earn a better income.
The woman was on a suspended driver’s licence when she lost control of the 4WD and smashed into a light pole at Palm Beach.
Her Jeep was ripped in half and burst into flames, with her sister killed on impact.
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Chmieluk was dragged to safety by bystanders and later produced a blood alcohol reading of 0.202.
Police also alleged she was driving at close to 100km/hr in a 60km zone at the time of the crash.
Last month, Chmieluk applied in the Southport District Court for her licence back – and on Friday had her request granted by Judge Deborah Holliday.
The judge felt Chmieluk has displayed a ‘substantial change in character and conduct’ following the tragedy and ‘demonstrated a legitimate purpose for obtaining a driver’s licence’.
Candice Chmieluk was dragged to safety by bystanders and later produced a blood alcohol reading of 0.202. The scene of the crash is pictured
Candice Chmieluk, a mother of twin girls, has pledged to be a careful and responsible driver
Chmieluk has also pledged to be a careful and responsible driver and said she was committed to ‘being that kind of person generally.’
She has also been to counselling sessions and completed courses for traffic and alcohol abuse.
A few weeks before her death, Sammy-Jo Chmieluk had moved to the Gold Coast from her family’s home town of Armidale in northern NSW.
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