Court hears Mayor Karen Williams resorted to turning off phone after receiving 'horrific' text messages

Magistrate Deborah Vasta gasped after being handed a selection of the messages during sentencing at Cleveland Magistrates Court on Monday.

Lawyer Calvin Gnech labelled the text messages "horrific" and argued that the public humiliation Cr Williams had received - while not a mitigating circumstance - should be taken into consideration.

"Those text messages were but a small sample of the many horrific messages she received on her mobile phone from random members of the public," Mr Gnech said.

"My client had to turn her phone off and stop receiving messages because of the barrage."

The Mayor was disqualified from driving for six months and ordered to complete 80 hours of community service after pleading guilty to drink-driving, but no conviction was recorded.

She will be required to have an interlock device fitted to her car when her licence is reinstated and it will remain in place for five years.

Magistrate Vasta read out a selection of the text messages to the court, many of which called for the Mayor to stand down.

"I am very sad you didn't die in the crash. What a lowlife piece of s**t you are," one read.

"You're a disgrace ... resign now you two-faced c**t"

"The jig's up. Face up you lying cow. Hope you go to hell c**t," another read.

Magistrate Vasta said recording a conviction would take a toll on Cr Williams' economic and social well-being.

"It is a discretion that has to be exercised properly and fairly ...," she said.

"We all do make mistakes and you certainly, it seems to me, have paid and continue to pay very heavily for your mistake that night.

"If we use mistakes as a justification for hatred, we are going to end up in a bitter, intolerant, sad and hate-filled world.

"We have no power over how people are going to perceive this penalty or your actions."

Hecklers greeted the Mayor as she made a statement to the media outside the court, with one man heard yelling, "sorry you wanted to be at a party instead of a Zoom call".

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