A New Zealand woman described as a “pharmacological nightmare” will be deported from Australia after running over and killing two young boys while high on prescription medication.

Tania Clark, 41, who has a string of criminal convictions in Australia, has been serving a 10-year prison sentence at the Brisbane Women's Correctional Centre after the February 7, 2008 manslaughter.

On that day, Clark had consumed two cans of bourbon and coke and the prescription drugs valium, oxazapan, temazepan, codeine and doxylimen were found in her system. She had also consumed cannabis.

She was in the third week of an 18-month probation period after stealing 425 temazepan tablets from a pharmacy.

Trying to beat traffic to her probation meeting, Clark mounted a curb and drove along the footpath where she fatally struck the two children.

An Immigration Australia decision released last week said Clark was a “pharmacological nightmare” who was “extraordinarily reckless”. The 22-year resident of Australia will have her visa cancelled and she will be deported to New Zealand when she is released from prison.

In arguing the decision to cancel her visa, Clark described herself as a “different person” after undergoing a range of rehabilitation programs in prison “giving her insight into her previous behaviour”.

However, Australian immigration authorities found that Clark did not “satisfy the character test” in the Immigration Act because of her criminal history.

“I am satisfied that the protection of the Australian community is more significant in Mrs Clark's case,” the decision read.

“The nature and frequency of Mrs Clark's criminal conduct, and the likelihood of her re-offending is in conflict with an objective of the Act; that is, to protect the Australian community from unacceptable risks of harm as a result of criminal activity or other serious conduct by a non-citizen.”

Clark, who is married to an Australian citizen, has lived in the country since 1991.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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