A pastor has failed in her attempt to overturn speeding convictions and demerit point penalties after being caught speeding three times in under two years.
Merrilyn Rae Billing, 69, of Launceston’s Zions Hill Church appeared in the Magistrates Court to contest the charges, arguing that she was suffering from trauma and stress due to incidents at the church and her home.
Billing was stopped for speeding at 66km/h in a 50km/h zone on Punchbowl Road in April 2024, as reported by The Examiner.
Police prosecutor Brad Collins opposed the application, noting that Billing had also been caught speeding in October 2022, October 2023, November 2023 and December 2023.
Three of the offences carried three demerit points each for exceeding the speed limit by 15-22km/h, while the October 2023 incident resulted in two demerit points for travelling 10-14km/h above the limit.
The court heard that Billing had accumulated demerit points that would normally trigger a three-month licence suspension.
In her submission, Billing tearfully described the impact of the trauma she had experienced, including $500,000 worth of damage and theft at Zions Hill Church and numerous callouts for smashed windows and vandalism.
She said there had been little support from Tasmania Police and that thieves had broken into her home, stolen jewellery and written off her car.
Billing also recounted a traumatic incident in March where her car was blown up at her ‘safe space’ in Low Head, damaging her shack.
“The trauma was so deep because I couldn’t trust anyone, even in my safe place,” she said.
She suggested that some of the speeding offences occurred while she was driving to Ravenswood to respond to vandalism and said police needed to take the situation more seriously.
Magistrate Ken Stanton dismissed the application, saying that while he agreed Billing had suffered trauma, the connection between the offending and the circumstances was “tenuous at best”.
“Many in the community experience stress and the law applies equally to them,” he said.
“I’m not satisfied that the circumstances outlined by Ms Billing compromised special circumstances.”
