Glamorous Sydney mum Monica Aoun scolded by judge over appalling driving record

7NEWS

3 days ago

A young mum has been given a dressing-down by a judge over her appalling driving record — which has seen her suspended six times and remain on her P-plates for a decade.
Monica Aoun, 36, who also goes by her married name Monica Hannoun, faced Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to driving with a suspended licence for a second time.
She was issued with a court notice on May 8 this year after police caught her driving her Tesla through Blakehurst, in Sydney's south, to drop her children to school.
Her lawyer told the court she had completed the three-month suspension but was stung on a 'technicality' as she had not gone to Roads and Maritime Services to renew her licence.
He said Aoun was a 'full-time mum' who assists her builder husband, who has also lost his licence, and their inability to use their cars was a 'strain' on them.
'She is not getting much assistance from the family,' he said.
But Magistrate Philip Stewart reiterated that she was driving while suspended.
'She's on her P-plates (and) has been on them since 2015. This is her sixth suspension,' he said.
'This offence occurred on the 8th of May 2025. Her record on page one (shows) she was suspended (and) has racked up further offences during the time she was suspended.
'She is fortunate to not have been charged on each of those occasions.'
Aoun's lawyer told the court he understood all of the negatives of his client's driving history, but there was an extenuating situation with her needing to care for her children and her husband losing his licence.
Asked by Stewart when Aoun's husband was due to get his licence back, the lawyer said 'not for a while'.
'On rare occasions you see cases that are astounding,' Stewart said.
'This is one of those records.'
Stewart told the court Aoun got her leaner's permit in 2006, before losing it in 2009.
Her licence was suspended in 2014 before she obtained her P1 licence in 2015.
Stewart said her P2 licence was issued in 2017, before she was pulled over the following year for a speeding matter and not having P-plates on the car, which was 'consistent' with her previously found to not be using L-plates.
In 2019, she was caught speeding without P-plates, then busted the following year for driving while suspended.
Stewart said she was then nabbed speeding numerous times in 2022 and put off the road for the fourth time.
The court heard she was given another suspension in 2024 and taken off the road after being caught speeding and parking in a disabled spot, while suspended.
Stewart said Aoun was before the court because she had not completed the Traffic Offenders Program.
'It's not the worst driving record I have seen, but not many would top that,' Stewart told Aoun.
'You should be thoroughly ashamed.
'If you can't drive, don't hold a licence.'
Stewart told Aoun he would not give her a conviction, but cautioned that further offending could result in serious penalties, including jail time.
He placed her on a Conditional Release Order for two years, which will expire on July 28, 2027.
Under the order, she must not commit any further offences while subject to the CRO, must appear before court if called upon to do so, and cannot drive unless her licence is valid.
According to court documents obtained by 7NEWS.com.au, Aoun was driving north along West Street at Blakehurst about 8.35am on May 8 this year when police automatic number plate recognition software picked up that her registration was expired due to a fine default.
She was pulled over and showed officers her digital driver's licence, which indicated that her licence was both expired and suspended.
Police checks identified that her licence was suspended from September 24, 2024 until December 23, 2024 for loss of demerit points, but the period was extended because she had not passed the increased Traffic Offender Knowledge Test.
Aoun told police she knew she was suspended but 'has no choice' but to drive because she needs to get her kids to school.
According to the documents, she further told police: 'My husband said something to me, like you need to call and sort it out, and then times goes by and I haven't sorted it out.'
Further court records obtained by 7NEWS.com.au show Aoun's husband, Joseph Hannoun, was convicted of driving with a cancelled licence for a second time or more on May 13 this year.
He was fined $750 and disqualified from holding a driver's licence for six months (until November 13, 2025).
However, he was busted driving again and pleaded guilty in July to driving a motor vehicle during a disqualification period second offence.
He is due to be sentenced in Bankstown Local Court later this week.
Other records show he was also before the courts multiple times in 2023 for driving offences.
In March, he was fine $750 and disqualified from holding a driver's licence for three months after driving while suspended.
Six months later, in September, he was convicted of driving a motor vehicle during a disqualification period second offence and for larceny.
For the driving offence, he was sentenced to a community correction order for a year and disqualified from driving for six months.
In relation to the larceny, Hannoun was fined $500 and ordered to pay Bunnings Rockdale $699.
It is not the first time the couple have made headlines, with their extravagant Bali resort wedding splashed on the cover of a magazine in 2014.
The luxurious event — organised by celebrity wedding planner Diane Khoury — featured Anoun walking along a Perspex aisle on a pool, perched on a cliff with views overlooking the ocean.
According to an interview the couple gave at the time, Aoun's wedding designer wedding dress by J'Aton Couture cost $30,000 and her engagement ring and two wedding bands feature a total of six three-carat diamonds.
In Australia, three-carat diamonds range in price from around $10,00 to more than $100,000 each depending on their unique characteristics.