A mum broke into tears as a court heard she will lose her job for drink-driving. Tracy Rowland, a maintenance worker for Cardiff Community Housing Association, was above the alcohol limit when police caught her driving her silver Vauxhall "erratically".
The 38-year-old, who is facing financial strain because she is about to become a grandmother, was handed a one-year driving ban at Cardiff Magistrates' Court. Her solicitor Nathan Jones said she would be unable to continue in her job because of the ban, adding: "That is why she is extremely emotional in court."
Prosecutor Hannah Friedman said Rowland was behind the wheel in Grand Avenue, Ely, at 11.45pm on March 11 when a patrolling police officer became concerned about her "manner" of driving. "The driver came to a stop of her own accord and identified herself as the defendant," said Ms Friedman.
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Rowland told police she had drunk around two cans of lager. She blew 51mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, which dropped to 42mcg in her second test. The legal limit is 35mcg. The defendant, of Telford Street in Riverside, pleaded guilty to drink-driving. She has previous two offences on her record, both from 2006. Ms Friedman said they were not relevant to her latest crime.
Nathan Jones, mitigating, said: "She doesn't accept she was driving erratically. She claims she was stopped because she had been driving a little bit quick but nothing more than that. She claims she went over a speed hump and accelerated slightly. She had no intention of driving on the night in question. She was watching the rugby and she had consumed a couple of cans of lager. Her 14-year-old niece was due to stay with her that evening because her niece's mother was on a night out in the town centre."
Rowland's niece was at a party so the defendant ordered a Premier taxi to pick her up but the ride did not show. "Her niece was becoming hysterical because the party was finishing and she was worried about being left on her own," Mr Jones added.
The solicitor said Rowland "thought she would be okay" to pick up her niece and now faces the "huge ramifications" of losing her job. The defendant, who was an Iceland delivery driver before becoming a maintenance worker, has been told "whatever happens today she will lose her job, no ifs or buts, because it is essential she is able to drive", said Mr Jones.
He added: "She has a 15-year-old child and he is having a baby very shortly so she is due to be a grandmother. She will have to take on quite a bit of responsibility which will lead to things being difficult as far as finances are concerned."
Presiding Justice Nihad Ramadan imposed a 12-month driving ban, £120 fine, £85 in prosecution costs, and a £34 victim services surcharge. Rowland's ban will be cut by three months if she passes a drink-driving rehabilitation course.
Mr Ramadan told her: "It is a very serious offence to drive while disqualified so it is very important you do not drive on a public highway from this moment." You can read more news from Welsh courts here.
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