Woman caught driving Mini Cooper convertible while more than twice the limit after row with boyfriend

Sarah Milton, 29, pleaded guilty to a charge of driving with excess alcohol when she appeared before South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

Glenda Beck, prosecuting, said the Washington mum-of-one had been at River Bar in Fatfield on January 3 with her boyfriend.

She said there had been an argument and she left the pub. She drove her Mini Cooper convertible and when she was stopped by police she was found to have 93 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, with the limit being 35.

A spokesman for the probation service said Milton, of Westernmoor, had gone to the pub with her boyfriend for a few drinks.

He said: “They had a few drinks, but had a little bit of a fallout. Ms Milton tried to call for a taxi.”

He said Milton had a pattern of driving to the pub, but leaving the car and getting a taxi home.

However, he said: “She was struggling to get a taxi, so they both sat in the car to get their coats.

“She basically decided she needed to get home and made the foolish decision to drive the car.

“She is very, very remorseful of what she has done.

“She feels as though she has let her family down and she has let her six-year-old son down, she feels she isn’t setting a good example.

“This was totally out of character and she wants to convey her sincere apologies to the court.”

The probation officer added that the defendant, who works for Computershare, is currently going through a divorce, which is obviously stressful.

Richard Copsey, defending, said: “This is so out of character she can’t understand it.”

He said there was medical evidence that some medication she had been given by the doctor could cause mood swings.

He said: “This may account for her making this catastrophic decision.

“She is otherwise an exemplary member of society.”

District Judge Kathryn Meek said: “I do accept your genuine remorse.

“It was at best foolhardy, at worst extremely dangerous.”

Milton was banned from driving for 24 months and given a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work.