AFP commander resigns after drink driving accident
Former Australian Federal Police commander Danielle Anne Woodward has resigned after she drunkenly crashed her car into a tree following a police function in Canberra.
The Olympic medalist pleaded guilty to a drink driving charge in the ACT Magistrates Court after blowing nearly three times the legal limit in November 2023.
Woodward had attended an end-of-year function on the night of the accident, and intended to walk home or catch an Uber, but felt unwell after drinking champagne, so she decided to take the short drive back home.
However, she crashed into a tree on her way home causing “extensive front-end damage” to her Mercedes-Benz.
After getting help from members of the public, she immediately reported the incident to her supervisor and told him she had alcohol in her system.
She also reportedly co-operated with lower-ranking officials who attended the scene, with the defence saying that she was "frank in her submission".
"She was certainly not belligerent," Woodward's lawyer Michael Kukulies-Smith told the court.
She was then arrested and taken to the police station for a breath analysis, which came back with a reading of 0.148.
A police statement of facts also said that officers found Woodward with a flushed face and sleepy, watery eyes.
“Police could smell a strong odour of intoxicating liquor emanating from [Woodward] and formed the opinion that [she] was well under the influence,” the statement of facts read.
The court also heard that Woodward had been experiencing a "high level" of stress from her job, so had "at times resorted to alcohol, in a way she has been able to control."
"The offending conduct is not only out of character … [but] her actions are usually the complete opposite. They're usually designed to benefit and protect the community," prosecutor Samuel Carmichael said.
Woodward's lawyer asked Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker to record a non-conviction, as this was a "one off" offence, and the media coverage of the accident had already caused her "an unusual degree of reputational damage", which has impacted her mental health and career.
While Magistrate Walker agreed to a non-conviction, she said that a general deterrence still needed to be served, with Woodward disqualified from driving for six months, taking into account a 90-day immediate suspension notice that was issued after the crash.
The Chief Magistrate told the court: "What ultimately influences me … is Ms Woodward is a woman suffering from ill health.
"It is often people of good standing in this community … who find themselves before the court for this type of offence."
She also said that Woodward had shown “obvious and palpable” remorse, and was not someone who would ordinarily demonstrate “this level of stupidity”.
Woodward was a highly decorated police officer who worked for the AFP for almost four decades. She became a commander in 2022 and received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2002.
In 2020 she was awarded the Australian Police Medal in the Australia Day honours.
Prior to her role in the AFP, she was a a triple Olympian in slalom canoeing and won a silver medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Image: ABC News