Meares a no-show in court
J *odhi Meares *appears set to escape charges of driving while suspended but is still facing the possibility of jail time over a 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 attend 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 up-market 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 *, together above, faces up to 18 months in jail and a fine of $3300 if convicted.
Murphy yesterday told the court police had indicated to him two charges of driving while suspended had been "incorrectly laid" and would likely be withdrawn. He said a plea would be entered on August 20 and he had engaged an accident investigation service to analyse the vehicle and the scene.
