Renee Melanie Holt, 48, faced Bega Local Court on Tuesday, April 12, charged with mid-range drink driving relating to an incident in Merimbula on Monday, January 24.

Ms Holt originally pleaded not guilty to the charge, but later changed her plea to guilty.

Magistrate Doug Dick asked why she was pleading not guilty, to which she replied that the reading had been taken shortly after she had applied hand sanitiser.

The woman claimed in court that she had touched the mouthpiece of the breathalyser with her hands before blowing into it and that had caused a misreading.

"I even tested it at the pub to see if the same thing would happen and it did," she said.

The magistrate warned Ms Holt a plea of not guilty would require her to find her own expert to prove the breathalyser had not taken an accurate reading.

"The court must accept the analysing instrument's reading as they are regularly tested and serviced," Magistrate Dick said.

"If you disagree you need your own expert to prove the testing equipment provided a false reading."

The magistrate asked the woman to look at the charging certificate reading which would have been taken after the first reading.

Court documents revealed a second breath analysis taken after a 15-minute observation period returned a blood-alcohol reading of .128.

Ms Holt later returned to the stand and said, "I have been advised that I should plead guilty".

"I'm not in the financial position to pay for that kind of defence," she said.

The magistrate reiterated how it would be difficult to pay for the expertise needed to investigate the equipment.

After Ms Holt had revised her plea to guilty, she was convicted and fined $1200 and disqualified from driving for the minimum of three months.

She will also be required to have an interlock device placed on her car for 12 months.

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