A PWLLHELI woman who was caught behind the wheel of her car while drunk three times in a month has been spared jail.

Bethan Evans, of New Terrace, drove her vehicle while drunk on two occasions in April and was found asleep in her car in May.

A sentencing hearing at Caernarfon Magistrates’ Court on Monday heard that the 38-year-old had be­gun­ drinking heavily after discovering her husband was having an affair.

On Wednesday, 4 April, the secretary was driving a Volkswagen on Church Street, Tremadog, when she collided with another vehicle, breaking its wheel arch, mounting a pavement and hitting a stone wall.

When the man in the other vehicle went to check that Evans was unhurt, she said “I’m in trouble” before picking up a bottle of vodka and drinking from it, according to prosecutor Diane Williams.

She had a reading of 345 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, meaning she was over four times the legal limit which is 80.

The mum-of-two said she had started drinking that day after failing to see a substance misuse counsellor because of a mix-up concerning the date of an appointment.

On Monday, 25 April, Evans was seen drink-driving in the same car in the car park at Ysbyty Alltwen until a member of staff there was able to take her keys from her.

Miss Williams told the court that when police officers arrived at the scene, “Mrs Evans was visibly upset and was crying”.

On that occasion, she tested at 122 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, around three and half times the legal limit of 35.

On Friday, 5 May, Evans had an argu­ment with her father with whom she was staying and went to look for a hotel, parking a Vauxhall car across two bays in the car park of Porthmadog’s Queens Hotel.

She was found the next morning asleep behind the wheel by two passing children who told the hotel manager.

He found her to be in a “deep sleep” and, when police arrived, they discovered two 70cl bottles of vodka, one sealed and one two-thirds full.

When tested, she was found to have 152 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, more than four times the legal limit.

At Monday’s hearing, Evans pleaded guilty to two charges of driving with excess alcohol and one of being in charge of a motor vehicle while drunk.

Her solicitor, Carys Parry, told the court her client was having difficulties in her personal life and had devel­oped a drink problem.

“This must be one of the saddest cases that I’ve dealt with since I have been doing this job,” she said.

The solicitor said Evans had until recently led a “blameless life” but had begun drinking heavily following the breakdown of her marriage.

Asking the court to consider a suspended sentence, Mrs Parry said arrangements had been made for Evans to begin a three-month period of residential rehabilitation at a unit in Chester.

After 20 minutes of deliberations, magistrates sentenced Evans to 26 weeks in prison, suspended for a year, and banned her from driving for 36 months.

She was ordered to carry out a 12-month alcohol treatment requirement, do 150 hours of unpaid work, pay a fine of £255 and a £115 victim surcharge.

Chair of the bench Alwyn Lloyd Ellis said: “In my time as a magistrate I have never come across such a disturbing series of offences involving alcohol.

“The readings on all three occasions were incredibly high. You could have caused serious injuries or death.”