Wine-fuelled road smash

Staiste Hausmanaite crashed into a garden wall after her Renault Megane left the road at the junction of Wigan Lane and Mesnes Road at approximately 11.20pm on February 14.

Police attended the scene and breathalysed the 26-year-old, who was found to have 47 microgrammes of alcohol in her breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Hausmanaite, of Heather Grove, Worsley Hall, admitted having had a “couple of glasses of wine” several hours before the smash, after receiving some bad news earlier in the day.

She told police that she thought she had drank a safe amount of alcohol, and that she had allowed herself enough time after drinking to drive safely.

Hausmanaite, who is originally from Lithuania, was visibly tearful as she stood in the dock with the help of an interpreter.

She pleaded guilty to drink-driving and Wigan magistrates disqualified her for 14 months and fined a total of £295. She accepted the chance to reduce her ban by 14 weeks with the undertaking of a drink driving awareness course, which she will have to pay for herself.

She was also warned that she would be found guilty of driving while disqualified, if caught behind the wheel again.

Hausmanaite had no previous convictions, and her solicitor described her as “a lady of good character,” whose only injuries suffered from the crash were “embarrassment and regret.”

The case had originally been adjourned from March 1 so that a plea could be entered and an interpreter could be arranged.

Penalties for anyone convicted of drink-driving include a minimum ban of 12 months, a hefty fine, a criminal record and even up to six months in prison.

A wide range of help and information on drink-driving is available at think.direct.gov.uk