Private School Mother Admits Flipping Mercedes with Drugs in System
A private school mother who was previously cleared of drink-driving after blaming an alcohol reading nearly five times the legal limit on a health supplement has now admitted to flipping her Mercedes while driving with drugs in her system. Natasha Jansen, a 50-year-old mother-of-two from Northbridge on Sydney's lower north shore, made headlines in July 2024 after falling asleep behind the wheel outside her children's school sports grounds.
Initial Drink-Driving Case Dismissed
In that initial incident, Jansen recorded a roadside breath test reading of 0.243, followed by a second reading of 0.193 at Chatswood police station. More than a year later, her lawyer Michael Bowe successfully argued in Hornsby Local Court that Jansen's blood alcohol reading could have been caused by her skincare regime combined with a reflux condition.
Bowe told the court that Jansen had consumed a chlorophyll health tonic, which could have caused alcohol in her mouth to register an inaccurately high level on the breathalyser. Neuropharmacology expert Professor Macdonald Christie testified that the amount Jansen consumed should have resulted in a blood alcohol reading of 0.12 or lower.
The court heard that Jansen suffered from a reflux condition that could have caused her to regurgitate chlorophyll into her mouth, potentially skewing the breath test results. Police footage showed Jansen was steady on her feet and not exhibiting behavior consistent with someone five times over the legal limit.
Magistrate Margaret McGlynn accepted this explanation and dismissed the drink-driving charge on August 11 last year.
Subsequent Crash with Drugs in System
Less than three weeks later, on August 29, Jansen was involved in a serious crash on Kameruka Road at Northbridge. She flipped her Mercedes after ploughing into two parked cars around 11:30am and returned a positive result for alcohol at the scene.
Builders from a nearby worksite helped lift Jansen out of the wreckage, with pictures showing her car on its side in the middle of the street. Emergency services were called to the scene following reports of an accident, with one resident describing it as "like a movie set" and reporting the car went airborne.
Jansen refused to undergo a breath test at Chatswood police station and was initially charged with negligent driving and failing to submit to breath analysis. After police received test results, she faced an additional charge of driving with an illicit drug present in her blood.
Drug Test Results and Guilty Plea
The drug identified in Jansen's system was delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive compound found in cannabis. On Thursday, Jansen pleaded guilty to all three offences when she appeared in Hornsby Local Court with her lawyer Michael Bowe.
As part of her bail conditions while awaiting sentencing next month, Jansen is not permitted to operate any motor vehicle or even sit in the driver's seat of one. In recent months, she has been seen being dropped off at her Northbridge home in a chauffeur-driven Kia Carnival and delivered to court by her father in a Lexus NX300.
Background and Police Allegations
In bail court documents obtained by 7News, Jansen stated she "had a history of alcoholism, is unemployed and has two children as dependents." Police alleged that "the accused appears to have been intoxicated while driving a vehicle leading to a collision that by luck did not result in the injury/death to a person."
They further stated that "the accused willingly failed to respond to legislated obligations placed upon her being the driver of a motor vehicle involved in a collision." Paramedics treated Jansen for minor injuries following the crash.
Regarding the initial drink-driving incident, Jansen told the court she had fallen asleep outside the school because she was tired from not sleeping well the previous night. She had consumed two 500ml bottles of Grant's liquid chlorophyll, available at supermarkets, outside the school before falling asleep at the wheel.
