A woman who passed out in her car in the middle of the road after realising she was too drunk to drive has walked free from court - despite being more than three times the legal limit.
Aisling Slater, 29, was found slumped over the wheel of her green Mini Cooper after a wine night with a friend, the court heard. She told magistrates she had been drinking heavily to cope with the breakdown of her relationship.
The mental health practictioner, of Warrington, Cheshire, admitted drink driving at Wigan Magistrate's Court. She was sentenced to a 12 month community order with 60 hours unpaid work.
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She said she had been drunkenly confiding in a friend about her love life rather than ''seek professional medical help'', and insisted she not had a drink since her arrest.
Paul Sumner, prosecuting, said: “At just after midnight on the 17th of March, a security guard working on St Helens Road, Lowton, noticed a green Mini Cooper had stopped in the middle of the road.
''Thinking an accident had taken place, he ran over to the vehicle and found the driver slumped over the wheel. When he managed to wake her up he noted that she was intoxicated and her words were slurred.
“When police later arrived, they gave the defendant a roadside breathalyser test, which confirmed, she was positive. She was arrested and taken to a police station. She was fully compliant in interview and was released the following day. ''
Tests showed Slater had 115 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35mg.
Her lawyer Louise Barrow said, “She was off work before this with stress that by a breakdown in a relationship she started drinking to try to make her feel better rather than seek professional medical help.
''On the night of the incident, she went round a friend’s house who was trying to make her feel better things escalated when they both started drinking wine. When she left and started driving home, she realised she was not able to drive it home and so came to a stop.”
“She spent 12 hours in a cell after her arrest. All this time in a confined place gave her a new perspective on the people she works with as a mental health practitioner. The people she works with often have to spend hours confined in a room and her experience in custody made her realise how difficult that can be.”
“She lives in Warrington but works in Atherton at a psychiatric care unit. She has a degree that was paid for by her unit and has worked in mental health for 10 years.”
“She was bought up by her grandparents but still has a great relationship with her mother. She is now looking to get professional help again and has realised drink is not the way to do it. She last had a drink on the 17th of March. She is currently taking anti-depressants on the advice of her GP.
“She works with mental health people, giving them advice. However, she hasn’t taken her own advice. We all know this can be a hard thing to do. She is very upset to be here today.''
Presiding magistrate, Linda Webster told Slater: “This is a very sad situation. You are clearly someone who had a bright future, which has been devastated with one stupid action.
''You clearly regret it but it is going to cause ongoing issues for you for the rest of your life if you don’t address it.”
Slater, of Academy Street, Warrington, was sentenced to a 12 month community order with 60 hours unpaid work. She must also pay costs of £85 and £114 statutory surcharge and was also banned from the roads for two years.
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