Karen Eastwood, 50 (outside Tameside Magistrates’ Court) was caught five times the drink-drive limit
A grandmother caught five times the drink-drive limit after downing a bottle of wine in her Skoda has avoided jail.
Karen Eastwood, 50, from Denton in Greater Manchester, was reported veering ‘all over the road’ by other concerned motorists, as she guzzled booze from behind the wheel.
Eastwood had pulled over and parked when she was arrested, with police officers noting that her eyes were ‘glazed’ and she had ‘slurred speech’.
During a breathlyser test she gave a reading of 181 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.
She was also awaiting another trail from drink-driving when she was taken into custody, after being found asleep at the wheel of her Skoda five months earlier, while three times the drink-drive limit.
Hospital worker Eastwood admitted being drunk in charge of a vehicle and drink driving.
She sobbed with relief as she avoided jail for her latest offence, as Tameside magistrates ruled she ‘needed some help’ with her alcohol problem
Instead Eastwood was given a 16-week suspended sentence and was ordered to attend a six month alcohol treatment course.
The grandmother was also banned from the roads for three years and was ordered to pay £300 in costs.
The court heard how Eastwood was driving during the evening rush hour and was found slumped over the wheel of her car near her home, on August 28.
Eastwood was found by police with a bottle of wine wedged next to the handbrake of her car
Prosecuting, Gareth Hughes said: ‘It was six in the evening on a Monday and a passing member of the public travelling in a vehicle signalled to police officers to stop.
‘When they spoke to him they were told a female driving a red vehicle was all over the road and this person believed she might be drunk. The police were told the direction and they followed.
‘They saw a vehicle that matched the description parked on the pavement. The defendant was on her own and there’s an empty bottle of wine next to the handbrake. Her speech was slurred and eyes glazed.’
The court also heard that during the first incident, in April, Eastwood had been arrested after attending Tameside Hospital for a human resources meeting with another member of staff.
While she was arrested in August, Eastwood was awaiting trial for another offence after being found three times the drink-drive limit in April
Prosecuting, Gareth Hughes, said: ‘The meeting finished and the member of staff became concerned about the defendant and believed she had been drinking and would drive home. She followed her and contacted one of the managers.
‘The manager attended and the defendant was located in the vehicle, keys in the ignition, asleep. She’s taken back to the HR building by two security guards.
‘Two police officers were at the hospital and just leaving. She agreed to provide a specimen of breath but failed to do so at the scene so she was arrested and taken to the police station where two samples were provided.’
The court heard how the first incident occurred on March 9 after Eastwood had attended Tameside Hospital for a human resources meeting with another member of staff.
Eastwood sobbed as she was spared jail for her latest driving offence
Mr Hughes said: ‘The meeting finished and the member of staff became concerned about the defendant and believed she had been drinking and would drive home. She followed her and contacted one of the managers.
‘The manager attended and the defendant was located in the vehicle, keys in the ignition, asleep. She’s taken back to the HR building by two security guards. Two police officers were at the hospital and just leaving.
‘She agreed to provide a specimen of breath but failed to do so at the scene so she was arrested and taken to the police station where two samples were provided.’
Tests showed Eastwood had 111 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. the legal limit is 35mg.
Sentencing, chair of the bench, Celia Metcalfe, said: ‘Miss Eastwood, we do agree that the custody threshold has been passed. You fall as a danger to yourself and the public due to the readings in both occasions, each offence aggravates the other.
‘We are going to suspend the sentence due to your lack of previous convictions but you do need some help. We are not going to offer the drink driving rehabilitation course because of the risk you pose.’
Stepping out of the dock, Eastwood said: ‘Thank you very much’, before bursting into tears.