A “VERY embarrassed” woman didn’t realise that she’d be over the drink-drive limit after drinking heavily the night before, her solicitor has claimed.
Jaclyn Harford, of Llysgwyn in Drefach Felindre, has admitted she may have to move to a more urban area after pleading guilty to drink-driving and being banned from driving for 23 months after magistrates heard that she was more than two-and-a-half times the drink-drive limit when stopped by police.
Prosecutor Helen Tench said police stopped Harford’s Peugeot 106 near Tresaith on 26 April after receiving information that she was over the drink-drive limit.
After stopping her car, officers noticed that she smelt of alcohol and was slurring her words, with Ms Tench saying that 28-year-old Harford’s make-up was also smeared.
A breath test showed that she had 92 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.
Defence solicitor Iestyn Davies said that Harford had only had one drink on the day she was stopped, but said that she had been drinking with friends the night before and that it “did not cross her mind” that the alcohol would still be in her system.
Harford told a probation officer that she had been drinking heavily the night before, but that she hadn’t considered that would affect the level of alcohol in her system as she had since slept.
She had been driving home after a day at the beach with friends, where she had drunk one glass of wine with food, and had made a “stupid mistake”.
Harford was made subject to a community order for a year with 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days, but was also banned from driving for 23 months.
She will pay a fine of £50 and costs of £135.