Wigan mum drove drunk to evade men following her

Becka Rooney had 94 microgrammes of alcohol in her system (the legal limit is 35) when she tried to drive away from the unknown men who were loitering near her car.

The 25-year-old mum-of-two was stopped by police after swerving and hitting a curb during her impromptu escape from the unknown duo.

Appearing at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court, Rooney, of Grasmere Avenue, Ince, pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle while above the alcohol limit.

The court heard how Rooney had made plans to go out in Wigan with a friend on the evening of October 19, and drove into town as she was not intending to drink alcohol.

She later changed her mind and drank several glasses of wine, and decided she would leave her car parked overnight and get a taxi home.

Rooney and her friend left the bar realised she had left her house keys in her car, and they went to retrieve them together.

It was at this point, the court heard, that she noticed she was being followed by two males, who were loitering around the car park.

She asked them to leave but they did not respond, and continued to hang around the dimly lit car park, at which point she decided to drive away.

Justices were told that Rooney intended to only drive to the car park at the nearby Lidl store, but she was stopped by on Darlington Street.

Officers found Rooney behind the wheel, and reported a strong smell of alcohol coming from inside. She failed a roadside breath test, and provided a reading back at the police station of 94mgs.

A member of the probation service told the bench that Rooney did not drink regularly nor heavily.

Regarding her decision to drive while drunk, she said that Rooney “didn’t quite give the decision too much thought” as she “just wanted to leave the area.”

Magistrates imposed a 12 month community order, comprising 40 hours of unpaid work. She was also disqualified from driving for 23 months, and must pay £170 in fines and court costs.