A teen who crashed her car into a friend's vehicle in a drunken rage has been met with leniency by a court thanks to her otherwise trouble-free record.
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Nyangoa Deng, of Winter Valley, appeared in the Ballarat Magistrates' Court pleading guilty to criminal damage and drunk driving for her actions in the early hours of December 30 last year.
About 12.37am authorities received a report of a dispute on the street in Chifley Drive in Delacombe.
Officers were flagged down by a witness on arrival.
"[He] explained that a short time earlier on Josephine Way, Delacombe, he observed a female who he knows to be the accused, deliberately drive a vehicle ... into his vehicle ... and drive off," police prosecutor Mae Johnson told the court.
"[The witness] advised that he made enquiries through associates and found that the accused was at an address on Chifley Drive, Delacombe.
"He drove to the address to confront the accused about the incident however had no interaction with the accused prior to police arrival as her friends kept her contained inside the house."
Deng, who had turned 18 two months earlier, was breath-tested by police and returned a reading of 0.086 grams of alcohol per 210 litres of breath.
"The accused stated she had an argument with an associate and was angry, releasing her anger by way of deliberately crashing the vehicle whilst driving away from the address," Ms Johnson said.
"The accused stated she had been drinking throughout the evening and should not have been driving."
Defence counsel for Deng told the court she had no criminal history, had expressed remorse, and was paying off the $2000 in damage to the complainant's car.
"She was caught up in the wrong crowd at the time," the lawyer said.
Deng also faced one charge of unlawful assault for spitting at another witness as she walked to the police van to be taken to Ballarat Police Station. It was captured on an officer's body-worn camera.
Her probationary licence was immediately suspended for six months, as is mandatory for any P-plater found to be drink driving under Victorian law.
Magistrate Ron Saines told the teen he would not disqualify her licence any longer than required and gave her a choice between a fine and unpaid community work.
The 18-year-old, who was supported in court by her mother, was convicted and fined $1331.50.
"You can't use a motor vehicle, one, while you're drunk, and two, because you're angry at them without escaping very heavy penalties," Mr Saines said.
"There has been a significant measure of leniency because you have no priors."
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