An alleged drink driver is facing a possible five year jail term for rolling her car with nine unrestrained children on board.
Tanya Chilly, 34, of Epping in Melbourne's north has indicated she will plead guilty to 14 offences, including dangerous driving causing serious injury.
She was charged after rolling a four-wheel drive on an unsealed road in Rockbank in Melbourne's outer west last year. The Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard there were ten children on board and nine were not wearing seatbelts. Seven of the children are hers. Three others were her boyfriend's who has a total of 15 children.
The court heard three of the children were badly hurt in the crash. Two children suffered broken bones and one child may may lose vision in one eye. The children were all aged under 16 including a six-month-old baby.
The mother of seven was charged with having a blood alcohol reading more than four times over the legal limit. Her lawyer, Jillian Prior, told the court the children were hungry and instead of leaving them with their drunk father who had passed out, she choose "the lesser of two evils" and drove along "the worst road in Melbourne" to get food.
Ms Prior told the court she had arranged for the Koori Court at Broadmeadows to hear the matter. But the Magistrate, Gerard Lethbridge, said he would hear the plea hearing in Melbourne.
