A North Shore mum who was acquitted of drink-driving after blaming the high reading on a health drink allegedly flipped her Mercedes in a ‘movie set’ crash weeks later.
Natasha Jansen, 49, was cleared of high-range drink-driving earlier this year after she fell asleep outside her children’s private school in Northbridge and returned a reading more than five times the legal limit in July 2024.
The mum-of-two had her charges dismissed on August 11 after arguing in court that her reflux condition, combined with her skincare regime, was to blame.
She said the chlorophyll she drank as part of the regime resulted in alcohol being present in her mouth which gave an inaccurately high reading on the breathalyser.
But, just weeks after the acquittal, Jansen faced Hornsby Local Court on a new set of charges relating to a crash on Kameruka Road in Northbridge on August 29.
Photos from the scene showed Jansen’s car on its side in the middle of the road with builders from a nearby worksite helping to lift her out of the wreckage.
Police allege she flipped her luxury SUV after crashing into two parked cars about 11.30am and returned a positive reading for alcohol at the scene.
Jansen allegedly refused to undergo a breath test at Chatswood Police Station and was later charged with negligent driving and failing to submit a breath analysis.
Natasha Jansen (pictured) briefly appeared at Hornsby Local Court on a second vehicle-related charge after a charge of high-range drink-driving was dropped earlier this year
Photos showed builders from a nearby worksite helping Jansen out of the wreck
But in court documents, obtained by 7News, Jansen had said she ‘had a history of alcoholism, is unemployed and has two children as dependents’.
‘The accused appears to have been intoxicated while driving a vehicle leading to a collision that by luck did not result in the injury/death to a person,’ police allege in their bail documents for Jansen.
‘The accused willingly failed to respond to legislated obligations placed upon her being the driver of a motor vehicle involved in a collision.’
Jansen’s court appearance on Thursday was brief, only taking a few minutes, before she quickly left the building surrounded by a media pack.
She remained silent with her head down and sunglasses down as she was asked: ‘How will you be pleading? Anything you’d like to say at all?’
One member of the media quipped: ‘Do you have a problem with alcohol, Ms Jansen, or just chlorophyll?’
NSW Police said emergency services found the overturned vehicle after being called to Kameruka Road following reports of a crash.
‘It was like a movie set to be honest. I heard that the car actually went airborne,’ resident Francoise told 7News.
Jansen had been acquitted of high-range drink-driving after falling asleep in her car outside her children’s private school and returning a reading more than five times the legal limit
A spokesperson for NSW Police said Jansen was treated at the scene by paramedics for minor injuries.
‘She was subjected to a roadside breath test, which allegedly returned a positive result,’ they said.
The new charges come just weeks after Jansen’s high-range drink-driving charges were dismissed in Hornsby Local Court.
Jansen had consumed two 500ml bottles of Grants liquid chlorophyll, available at supermarkets, while waiting outside the school, the court was told.
Neuropharmacology expert Professor Macdonald Christie testified the amount Jansen consumed should have left her with a blood alcohol reading of 0.12 or less – below the threshold for a high-range drink-driving charge.
The court was told Jansen suffered from a reflux condition, which, according to a police breathalyser expert, could have caused an inaccurate reading if it led her to regurgitate chlorophyll into her mouth
The breathalyser may have reflected the alcohol content in Jansen’s mouth, rather than in her bloodstream, the court was told.
