Wigan motorist crashed twice after drinking five times the legal alcohol limit

A woman caught at the wheel when almost five times the drink-drive limit and folllowing two crashes has narrowly avoided an immediate jail term.
Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' CourtWigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court
Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court

Shocked Wigan and Leigh magistrates told Catherine Farrimond that the reading of her breath test was so high that it went beyond the usual parameters of sentencing guidelines and said it was pure luck that she didn’t injure or kill anyone.

The 42-year-old, of Leigh Road, Hindley Green, was stopped by police in Heath Gardens near to her home on April 5 this year after her Fiat had collided with two vehicles and could be seen weaving around all over the road.

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When police pulled her over she refused to get out of the vehicle and eventually had to be dragged out of it.

And when she blew into the breathalyser bag, the inebriated motorist gave a reading of 165 microgrammes in 100ml of breath.

The legal limit is just 35 microgrammes.

It later emerged that Farrimond already had a conviction for drink-driving and that she had been way over the limit on that occasion too.

Farrimond pleaded guilty to a charge of drink-driving and also to driving a Fiat car in Leigh on the same day without insurance coverage or a licence.

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She was given a six-month jail sentence but justices suspended it for two years.

She is also now banned from driving for the next five years and must undergo an alcohol dependency programme.

The chair of the bench told Farrimond: “The reading of alcohol in your breath is so high it is outside the parameters of the sentencing guidelines.

“You were involved in two collisions whilst driving heavily under the influence of alcohol.

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“Your vehicle was swerving all over the road and you clearly were not in any sort of control of this vehicle.

“It is fortunate that you did not injure or kill yourself or other road users.

“You refused to co-operate with the police at the scene and had to be pulled from the vehicle.

“In the vehicle there were unopened cans of alcohol as well as unopened containers. You clearly intended to continue drinking. You were so drunk you did not have any clear recollection about this incident.

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“This is your second conviction within three years and it appears that your licence was revoked by the DVLA as a high-risk offender.

“Your first conviction was also for a high reading and it is clear that you did not learn any lessons from that appearance in court and the subsequent sentence.

“You may have significant problems but you put everyone at a very high risk because of your actions.”