Newcastle drink driver broke nose after ploughing into…

Newcastle drink driver broke nose after ploughing into RVI wall while picking up takeaway

A peckish drink driver broke her nose when she ploughed into a hospital wall while en-route to get a takeaway.

Stacey McKane got behind the wheel of a Kia after she and her partner decided to travel into Newcastle City Centre in order to get food in the early hours of the morning. However, the 34-year-old mum lost control of her vehicle after hitting a curb and she crashed into a boundary wall of the Royal Victoria Infirmary, on Victoria Road, a court heard.

The police were called but decided not to take a roadside breath test as McKane appeared to have suffered a "nasty" facial injury and she was taken just metres away to the hospital's Accident and Emergency Department. Whilst there, she consented to a blood sample being taken, which proved she was over the booze limit. She'd also suffered a broken nose.

McKane, of North View, in Heaton, had been due before Newcastle Magistrates' Court last month but she failed to show and a warrant was issued for her arrest. She appeared in the dock in custody on Wednesday to plead guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

Niamh Reading, prosecuting, said police responded to reports of a one-vehicle collision outside an entrance to the RVI, on Victoria Road, at around 3.30am on November 14 last year. Miss Reading continued: "They found a Kia at an obscure angle in the road after it had collided with a boundary wall of the RVI. An ambulance was already on the scene.

"The defendant confirmed she was the driver of the vehicle. She expressed concern for her partner, who had run off. She had a nasty-looking facial injury so, despite smelling of alcohol, the officer decided it was not practical to take a breath test. She was taken to A and E and provided a blood sample."

The court heard that McKane, a mum-of-three with no past convictions, gave a reading of 110mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood when the legal limit is 80.

Neil Connell, defending, said McKane had been driving a courtesy car at the time and was unfamiliar with the vehicle. "She had enjoyed a drink at home on the evening on December 13," Mr Connell continued. "She had no intention of driving. She went to bed and had a few hours sleep but then she and her partner decided they would go into Newcastle to get takeaway food."

McKane was banned from the roads for 15 months, fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £34 victim surcharge.