After crashing into lamp post Co Armagh woman continued driving damaged car while police followed with lights on, court hears

Maureen Brown, aged 41, from Dobbin Road, Portadown, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Friday charged with driving with excess alcohol.

-

-

Police were on patrol on the Drumgor West Road, Craigavon on May 23 this year. At 4.45pm they spotted a vehicle at Roundabout 3 which appeared to have been involved in an accident at the Lake Road exit and a lamp post was “down obstructing the left lane and hanging over the outside lane of the road”.

With lights activated police moved in behind the Citroen C4 witnessing the female driving the vehicle with “substantial damage to the front bumper”. The front near side wheel had no tyre left on it.

The court heard police recognised the defendant due to “previous dealings” with her. They had to get out of their vehicle to get her to stop driving.

Then she took the keys out and was "visibly distressed, slurring her words and had glazed eyes”. With a strong smell of alcohol emanating from the vehicle, police found an empty bottle of wine in the driver’s door.

Brown’s lower evidential reading was 116 micrograms of alcohol to 100 millilitres of breath. In Northern Ireland, the legal alcohol limit for drivers is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

Deputy District Judge Gerard Trainor asked the Prosecutor if this matter was being prosecuted on a single charge? She responded yes, that was the direction.

Brown’s solicitor, Mr John McAtamney, confirmed his client had spent time in custody in 2023 for assault on police and an ambulance worker.

He said Brown has had a “long standing” problem with alcohol. “This is another example of that where she had gone to Lurgan. She doesn’t know why. She just recently got back into work in a take away and had gone there under the influence of alcohol.

"She doesn’t understand why. Fortunately she didn’t seriously injury anyone else or herself,” said Mr McAtamney.

She is a former health care worker but has been suspended from that due to an “ongoing investigation”, the solicitor told the court.

Deputy District Judge Trainor asked if Brown realised “the danger she is in this morning”. Mr McAtamney said she was aware of the “jeopardy she had put her liberty in” and was attending AA.

Deputy District Judge Trainor told Brown the court was entitled to send her to prison today and must give reasons why it wouldn’t as she was “in flagrant breach of a suspended sentence”.

He reminded her it was her second drink driving offence and that she caused a “serious accident” which could have injured others and herself.

"The message has not got through to you,” he said, as Brown could be heard crying in the courtroom. “Your conduct, behaviour and drinking are going to land you behind bars. There’s no way you didn’t know that before you came her today.”

Brown could be heard pleading with the judge and crying “I’m sorry”.

He banned Brown from driving for four years. She was put under a Probation Order for 12 months and ordered to carry out 100 hours Community Service.