News / Over the limit
A FIFTY nine year old woman who was found to be almost three times over the drink driving limit lost her licence when she appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Thursday.
Annabel Owen, of Pundsta Place, Cunningsburgh, admitted driving on the A970 road between Lerwick and Cunningsburgh with 220 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The limit is 80 milligrams.
Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie said police had been alerted that Owen was driving “quite erratically” by a member of the public at 9.30pm on Sunday 19 January.
Police arrived at her house at around 10.10pm but were unable to obtain a reading until just after midnight.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said that, while Owen had drunk a large glass of wine at her house before police arrived, there was “no dispute she shouldn’t have been driving”.
He said she had been under great strain due to family circumstances and had not appreciated how high the count might be. Owen has since stopped drinking completely.
Sheriff Philip Mann disqualified her from driving for 20 months and fined her £600. She can reduce the length of her ban by five months if she completes a rehabilitation course.
Meanwhile an 18 year old drink driver who drove his car into a ditch and ended up writing it off also lost his licence.
Connor Anderson, of Burgins, Voe, admitted driving on the A968 road between Voe and Toft with 52 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.
He also pleaded guilty to driving without due care or attention and at an excessive speed which meant he was unable to negotiate a bend in the road and ended up in a roadside ditch.
The fiscal said it was a classic case of “too much bravado, not enough experience”.
There were two passengers in the car who were uneasy about the speed Anderson was driving at, and it was only through good fortune that the resulting injuries were relatively minor, Mackenzie added.
Defence agent Allan said it was Anderson who had phoned the police and ambulance services following the accident, and he had “accepted responsibility from the word go”.
Sheriff Mann said he hoped Anderson had learned a “valuable lesson”. He disqualified him for one year, which can be reduced by three months if he completes a rehabilitation course, and fined him a total of £600.
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