Shropshire Star

Banned drink driver jailed after arrest in Bridgnorth

A banned driver who drove dangerously between Wolverhampton and Bridgnorth while nearly four times the drink-drive limit has been given a four-month prison sentence.

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Judy Moore was seen driving on the wrong side of the road, swerving in and out of lanes and mounting pavements while in a black Ford Focus, Shrewsbury Justice Centre heard.

She was spotted by another driver who followed her from the outskirts of Wolverhampton towards Bridgnorth for about 10 miles and called police.

Mr Rob Edwards, prosecuting, said police arrested the 57-year-old after she stopped at The Black Horse in Bridgnorth.

According to police, she was unsteady on her feet and slurring her words.

Moore was breathalysed and was found to have 137mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

The legal limit is 35mg.

The court heard she had previously been banned from driving twice in the past and was still disqualified at the time of this offence on March 16.

Moore, of Finchfield Road West, Finchfield, Wolverhampton, previously admitted dangerous driving, driving with excess alcohol, while disqualified and without insurance, during a hearing at Kidderminster Magistrates Court.

Struggled

Ms Kim Roberts, defending, said Moore was fully cooperative with police, making full admissions, and she had struggled with alcohol use in the past.

She told the court that Moore began using alcohol as an anaesthetic when she faced a situation of domestic violence.

Ms Roberts said Moore is also a full-time carer for her 83-year-old mother.

She told the court: "On the day in question she had discussions with the care manager about the lack of care her mother was receiving which upset her and led her to have a drink. "She is extremely remorseful for that.

"This has been an eye opener for her." Ms Roberts said Moore had been in police custody since March 18 and has been extremely concerned about her mother's wellbeing.

Sentencing her, Judge Peter Barrie warned that a car in the hands of someone who has been drinking can be a 'lethal weapon that can cause serious harm'.

He told Moore: "It only needed an oncoming car and there could have been a head-on collision with a catastrophic result."

Speaking about her previous driving bans, he said: "The previous sentences have not managed to impress on you the absolute importance of not driving when you have been drinking."

He gave Moore a four-month prison sentence and another driving ban lasting four years and two months.

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