Fife woman six times over the limit after “a couple of spritzers”
A Fife woman, who thought she only had “a couple of wine spritzers”, crashed her car when almost seven times over the drink-drive limit.
Kirstie Mason (45), of Spinnaker Way, Dalgety Bay, appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.
She admitted that on 12th April, in Harbour Drive, Dalgety Bay, she drove after consuming excess alcohol. Her reading was 141 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the limit being 22 microgrammes.
Depute fiscal Claire Kennedy said, “At 8.40pm, members of the public contacted the police raising concerns about the manner of the accused’s driving near to a Co-op store.
“Police attended and spoke to witnesses who told them about the erratic driving which had resulted in the accused’s car hitting a street sign and a hedge.
“She was in the shop at this time and officers saw she was unsteady on her feet and they could smell alcohol from her.”
Defence solicitor Russel McPhate said, “She had been with friends during the day and had been cooking. Her recollection was that she only had a couple of wine spritzers,” he added.
Sheriff Charles MacNair commented, “You would have to drink an enormous amount of wine spritzers to get to that reading. Clearly she has a significant alcohol problem.”
Mr McPhate said, “It’s something that’s sneaked up on her over the past four years.”
Sheriff MacNair told Mason, “This is an extremely high reading, more than six times the limit.”
He imposed a community payback order with 135 hours of unpaid work and two years’ supervision. Mason was also disqualified from driving for 16 months.
