Sports therapist, 29, who slammed car into tree outside her £400,000 home gets 17-month road ban

A sports therapist has been given a drink-driving ban after she crashed her car while carrying out a three point turn following a white wine binge – and initially blamed it on her friend.

Rebecca Wilson, 29, who was dressed in nightwear and slippers was attempting the manoeuvre on a narrow cul-de-sac when her foot slipped off the clutch and her Ford Focus slammed into the trunk of a tree.

She claimed she was trying to move her Ford Focus after finding no space to park outside her £400,000 home in Sale, near Altrincham, Greater Manchester, when she got home at about 3am on January 17.

But police called to the scene breathalysed her and found she was more than twice the alcohol limit.

Rebecca Wilson, 29, has been given a drink-driving ban after she crashed her car following a white wine binge

At Tameside magistrates court Wilson, who carries out sports massages and works as a personal trainer, admitted drink driving but urged JPs not to ban her arguing ‘special circumstances’.

Her plea was rejected and she was disqualified for 17 months.

Her vehicle’s front left wheel and near side wheel were both severely damaged in the crash.

The incident occurred on January 17 after Wilson had been drinking wine at home with a friend.

Prosecutor Miss Niamh Ingham said: ‘At approximately 3am officers were called to a car versus tree collision. An individual said that they had seen a blond female walking away and officers traced the car to the defendants address.

‘They knocked on the door and the defendant initially said it was a friend that had been driving.’

Wilson, who carries out sports massages and works as a personal trainer, told the court she decided to move her car at 3am as she thought it was slightly blocking the cul-de-sac where she lives

Wilson, who carries out sports massages and works as a personal trainer, told the court she decided to move her car at 3am as she thought it was slightly blocking the cul-de-sac where she lives

Miss Ingham said Wilson ‘was intoxicated and smelt strongly of alcohol’ and had ‘glazed eyes and slurred speech’. 

Wilson admitted to drinking ‘approximately three glasses and up to a bottle of white wine with a friend she was with’, Miss Ingham told the court, before ‘she fell asleep on the couch’. 

Miss Ingham added: ‘She made a decision to go to the car to get her phone which she had left there. She also made the decision to turn her car around. She attempted to set off, her foot was on the clutch but she has then accidentally accelerated and collided with a tree. She was the only person insured to move her car.

‘She apologised to the police for saying her friend had driven the car and said she did it out of panic, she shortly after fully admits that it was her driving.’

Tests showed Wilson had 73 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.

Wilson told the hearing: ‘I have a driveway but my mum’s car was in the driveway and when I came home the road was blocked by a truck as houses either side of us were having work done at the time.

‘I could not park on the driveway or on the road as there was not enough room anywhere so I parked just on the corner of the cul-de-sac closest to my house and it was right on the apex of the corner.

‘I got out and went back to my house. My friend Emily then came to my house for dinner. We did have a drink, it could have been up to a bottle of white wine but I did not intend on driving anywhere. The evening came to an end at 10pm and Emily left.

‘I fell asleep on the couch for a while and then went up to bed. But at around 3am I realised I did not have my phone with me which I use as my alarm clock. I was in leggings, a vest and some slippers. I went out to my car to look for my phone, which was in the car.

‘I then decided to move the car for the morning. I thought it was the best decision as I thought it was slightly blocking the cul-de-sac.

‘I did a three point turn but as my foot was on the clutch, my foot slipped and the car jolted forward when I was going to park. It was car versus tree.

‘I accept that I gave a false account to the police. It was out of pure panic, I just panicked at the time.

‘I was trying to get things easier for myself and for everyone else. There was not anywhere else I could have parked earlier when I was sober.”

The court heard Wilson was dressed in nightwear and slippers when she crashed her car in the early hours of January 17. She told the court her foot slipped off the clutch and the car jolted forward before crashing into a tree

The court heard Wilson was dressed in nightwear and slippers when she crashed her car in the early hours of January 17. She told the court her foot slipped off the clutch and the car jolted forward before crashing into a tree

Her lawyer Ashley Barnes, a specialist on motoring law, said: ‘There were no pedestrians nor any traffic at the time and it is a suburban little road. It is not surprising at 3am that there is very little going on.

‘She held her hands up and said: ‘Hold on I was driving.’ There was obvious panic. She said she was turning around and her foot slipped. It was late at night and she had left the phone in her car. From 7.30pm to 10pm she was with her friend.

‘How many times have you gone an entire evening without looking at your phone? For a lot of people they will go the whole evening not looking at their phone, particularly when you are having dinner with someone. It is not that unusual.

‘She has had a couple of glasses of wine which many will do without having to think about it. She went to look for her phone as she uses it as her alarm clock. Obviously, that is all she should have done. It is a silly mistake. All drink and drive special circumstances cases involve a stupid decision. She was a person of good character prior to this.”

But JP Gary Palmer told Wilson her ‘excuse’ that a truck was stopping her from parking ‘is not credible’

‘It looks as if there was plenty of space for you to park elsewhere,’ he added.

‘Your reason for moving the car is also not credible. We therefore do not feel the case has been made for the special reasons you have put forward.’

Wilson was also fined £230 and ordered to pay £284 in costs and surcharges.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk