Kaylee Milson, of Dalton Street, had never had a driver's licence and was disqualified from driving until April 2026 when she was caught by police on May 13.

About 11pm, police were patrolling Nile Street after receiving information about a white Ford Falcon in the area that was being driven in a suspicious manner.

Police saw the car and stopped it and spoke to Milson who appeared nervous and said "f***, f***, f***, what have I done, I'm f***ed."

Solicitor Peter Ringbauer said Milson had a rough time growing up, her father died when she was a baby, she lived on the streets from the age of 12, she was educated up to year 7 and had been using illicit drugs since she was 15 years old.

Mr Ringbauer said Milson also had problems with methamphetamine use but she had stopped using drugs.

"She's committed to remaining off the drugs," Mr Ringbauer said.

He said she was driving when police stopped her because she had previously been in a car crash as a passenger and was getting a lift in the Falcon but was nervous about the driver's manner of driving so she took over.

Mr Ringbauer said because Milson was only 23, her life could still change.

He also reminded magistrate David Day that changes in sentencing legislation reduced the maximum from two years in jail to 12 months in jail and suggested Milson could be suitable for a community-based intensive correction order.

However, Mr Day said sentences went up, not down and there would be no community protection if she was still walking around.

"She's never had a licence, that hasn't stopped her, this is the 12^th occasion," Mr Day said.

"She's already been to jail and that hasn't worked.

"No one knows if she knows how to drive, no one knows if she knows the rules."

Mr Day gave Milson a nine-month jail sentence with four months to be served without parole from July 24 to November 23 and said he found special circumstances including a requirement for longer supervised parole.

He also disqualified her from being able to apply for a driver's licence for another 12 months.

"Last year I sentenced her to 18 months', that was at a time when it was a two-year sentence, district court changed it a little bit [on appeal] but not much," Mr Day said.

Milson is due to appeal her sentence in Orange District Court in August.

She applied for bail on Monday, but Mr Day denied the request given the court date was only three weeks away.