Police officer, 30, avoids jail and won’t resign after refusing to give breath test to colleagues when she smashed her £40,000 BMW into a roundabout
- Leigh Shaw, 30, was convicted of careless driving at a court in Kilmarnock
- But instead of prison she was given a tag and ordered to stay at home at night
- Critics have demanded to know why as a police officer she was able to avoid jail
Serving PC Leigh Shaw, 30, was convicted of careless driving after smashing her car into a roundabout after a night out but was spared jail
A serving PC was spared jail and will not resign despite smashing her £40,000 BMW into a roundabout after a police chase which ended in her refusing to give a breath test.
Leigh Shaw, 30, was convicted of careless driving at a court in Kilmarnock last month where a sheriff gave her an ankle tag for seven weeks, banned her from driving and imposed a curfew.
Her erratically driven BMW M135i, which has a top speed of 155mph, ended up in the middle of a roundabout in Ayrshire on January 25 this year shortly after a police car arrived on her tail.
She was taken to Crosshouse Hospital by colleagues who asked her for a breath test to see if she was drunk, but she reportedly refused.
In August ex-Liverpool striker Dean Saunders was jailed for 10-weeks for failing to provide a breath specimen and today critics have demanded to know why the Police Scotland officer walked free.
PC Shaw has refused to comment on her case but a source told the Daily Record: ‘She had been on a night out in Paisley but she left the place drunk and decided to drive in any case.
‘Police got on her tail and she smashed the car into a roundabout. People expected her to go to jail as the case is aggravated by her being a police officer.
‘What kind of message is this sending out to the public? That you can drive a virtual racing car into a roundabout while drunk and get away with seven weeks on a tag? It’s a joke. She seems to have got off light because she is a police officer. That sentence doesn’t seem right’.
Her erratically driven BMW M135i, which has a top speed of 155mph, was written-off in Ayrshire on January 25 this year shortly after a police car arrived on her tail
She was taken to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock where she reportedly refused to take a breath test
Her BMW M135i was written-off but the newspaper claims that she now has a Audi S3 with the same private registration plate on her drive.
The source added: ‘It doesn’t say much about her contrition when the first thing she does is go out and buy a replacement supercar. She is effectively sticking her fingers up at the police and the public. Will she be back to her demon driving as soon as her ban is up?’
In August, Shaw, 30, was banned from driving for 16 months and handed a community payback order with six months supervision and a £450 fine.
She was also ordered to wear an electronic tag on her ankle for seven weeks and cannot leave the house between 9pm and 6am.
Shaw joined Police Scotland 15 years ago after working as a PA for an accountant.
In her LinkedIn profile she describes herself as an: ‘Experienced Police Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the law enforcement industry. Skilled in law enforcement, communication, event management, general office skills, and criminal investigations.’
A police spokesperson refused to say if she had been suspended but said: ‘We are aware of the outcome of this case and a report will be made to the Deputy Chief Constable, People and Professionalism, for her consideration.’