A decorated officer and Olympic medal winner, who drunkenly crashed into a tree, has avoided a conviction with a court finding ill health was the only explanation for such "stupidity".
Former Australian Federal Police commander Danielle Anne Woodward had driven home drunk from a work Christmas event on a Friday night in November 2023.
She would end up crashing her Mercedes-Benz into a tree, 1.5 kilometres after getting behind the wheel, and returning a blood alcohol level reading almost three times the legal limit.
In the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday, Woodward received a non-conviction order and she was disqualified from driving for six months.
She had previously pleaded guilty to level three drink-driving.
On Monday, Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker emphasised the court's decision not to record a conviction was not influenced by the drink-driver's background in law enforcement.
"This is a woman who was suffering significant ill health which is the only plausible explanation for her conduct on this occasion," Chief Magistrate Walker said.
The Chief Magistrate found that Woodward was suffering from "significant" medical issues at the time, which included stress "beyond the ordinary".
"[Woodward] had put in appropriate measures not to drive ... [and] ordinarily would not make a decision of this level of stupidity," Chief Magistrate Walker said.
"This was a spectacularly high level over the limit ... because of the significant ill health that Ms Woodward was experiencing at this time.
"[She] clearly takes this matter very seriously, her remorse is obvious and palpable."
Woodward's lawyer, Michael Kukulies-Smith, had argued his client had planned to walk or catch an Uber home but was feeling unwell and made the "inexplicable" decision to drive home.
"[This was] positively out of character, in that her actions usually are the complete opposite they are designed to benefit and correct the community," Mr Kukulies-Smith said.
He told the court Woodward had presented to hospital about two weeks before the crash, had lost a significant amount of weight, and was under extreme stress.
The lawyer said in the immediate aftermath of the crash, before police had arrived on the scene, Woodward had called her supervisor to self-report.
She resigned from the Australian Federal Police in March 2024 after a 37-year career in policing.
Prosecutor Samuel Carmichael argued Woodward's alcohol reading, of 0.148, was "no small amount".
"This was by no means a minor oversight ... this is someone who was well over the appropriate level to be driving in the community."
Woodward competed in three consecutive Summer Olympic Games from 1992 in Barcelona, where she won a silver medal in slalom canoeing.
She was awarded an Order of Australia in 2002 for her service to the sport, and an Australian Police Medal, awarded for distinguished service by a member of an Australian police force, in 2020.
Woodward's almost four-decade law enforcement career has involved major investigations into organised crime groups, complex fraud and human trafficking.
