Jodhi Meares skips court appearance

Model turned businesswoman Jodhi Meares has skipped a court appearance in Sydney over her drink driving charges.

Australian designer Jodhi Meares

Model Jodhi Meares has appeared in court in Sydney over her drink driving charges. (AAP)

Jodhi Meares appears set to escape charges of driving while suspended but is still facing the possibility of jail time over a high-range drink driving charge.

The first wife of billionaire James Packer did not appear at Waverley Local Court on Tuesday, avoiding a large media pack, but was represented by high-profile lawyer Chris Murphy.

The former bikini model and now-successful designer is expected to front the same court on August 20, at which time it's possible she could enter a plea on the drink driving charges.

Meares had to be rescued from her Range Rover, which rolled after smashing into three parked cars in the upmarket suburb of Bellevue Hill in Sydney's east in June.

The 43-year-old is accused of recording a 0.181 blood alcohol reading, almost four times the legal limit.

Meares, who is engaged to rocker Jon Stevens, faces up to 18 months in jail and a fine of $3300 if convicted.

Mr Murphy on Tuesday told the court that police had indicated to him that two charges of driving while suspended had been "incorrectly laid" and would likely be withdrawn.

He then told the court a plea would be entered on August 20, and that it would be "a short matter", suggesting Meares may enter a guilty plea.

He told the court that he had engaged an accident investigation service to undertake a full analysis of the vehicle and the scene.

Mr Murphy said it was possible that the vehicle had a "black box" installed which could also help clear up the matter.

"I anticipate I will be able to help the prosecutor and the court with a full report."

Mr Murphy refused to comment to media as he left the court, and it was unclear if Meares is even in Sydney.

Since her two-year marriage to Packer ended in 2002, Meares has kept her private life out of the spotlight.

Meares was behind the successful swimwear brand TigerLily, which she sold to surfwear multinational Billabong in 2007 for between $3 million and $5 million.

She has since founded the luxe sportswear brand, The Upside, which she runs from Surry Hills.

While Meares didn't make it to Waverley, she was able to post a message spruiking her fashion label - about an hour after her court case was heard on Tuesday morning.

Dressed in a grey singlet top, Meares is happy to tell her Instagram followers that the 2014 spring campaign for The Upside will be shot in downtown New York.


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world