A mother from a private school background, who was recently acquitted of a high-range drink-driving charge, is back before the courts after allegedly flipping her Mercedes with an illicit drug in her system. Natasha Jansen, 49, has now enlisted her father to drive her to legal proceedings.
From 'Skincare Defence' to a Dramatic Crash
Natasha Jansen first came to public attention in July 2024 after she was found asleep at the wheel outside her children's school sports grounds in Northbridge, on Sydney's lower north shore. An initial roadside breath test allegedly recorded a reading of 0.243 – nearly five times the legal limit – with a subsequent test at Chatswood police station showing 0.193.
However, in a remarkable turn before Hornsby Local Court in August this year, her lawyer, Michael Bowe, successfully argued that her skincare regime and a reflux condition could have caused the high reading. He stated she had consumed a chlorophyll health tonic, which could have led to alcohol in her mouth registering inaccurately. Magistrate Margaret McGlynn accepted this explanation and dismissed the charge on 11 August.
A Second Incident and New Allegations
Less than three weeks later, on 29 August, Jansen was involved in another incident on Kameruka Road in Northbridge. Photographs from the scene showed her vehicle on its side in the middle of the street, with builders from a nearby site helping to free her from the wreckage.
Police allege she flipped her Mercedes after colliding with two parked cars around 11.30am. She is accused of returning a positive result for alcohol at the scene but then refusing a breath test at Chatswood police station. She was subsequently charged with negligent driving and failing to submit to a breath analysis.
Further legal trouble followed when, on 27 October, police hit Jansen with an additional charge of driving with an illicit drug present in her blood. The substance was identified as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis.
Bail Conditions and Court Appearances
As part of her strict bail conditions, Jansen is prohibited from operating any motor vehicle or even sitting in the driver's seat. During her latest appearance at Hornsby Local Court on 27 November, she was not required to attend in person. However, she was seen later that day being dropped at her Northbridge home in a hire car driven by a chauffeur.
Jansen appeared before a registrar at the same court with her solicitor on a later date, driven there by her father in a white Lexus. Wearing designer sunglasses and carrying a luxury handbag, she was granted an adjournment, with her case now set to return to court in February.
In bail documents, Jansen disclosed that she "has a history of alcoholism, is unemployed and has two children as dependents." Police alleged in the documents that she "appears to have been intoxicated while driving" in a collision that, by luck, did not cause injury or death.
Jansen has not yet entered pleas to the charges relating to the August crash. The case continues to unfold, casting a spotlight on the legal arguments and personal circumstances surrounding a series of serious traffic allegations.
