Co Antrim: police found woman asleep in car with empty wine bottle outside shop
Police found a woman asleep in the front of a vehicle with an empty wine bottle in the footwell in the car park of a shop in Crumlin.
They had received a report of a motorist slumped over the steering wheel of a car at 6.30pm on September 24 this year. The engine was running.
Toni Lee Conway (30), of Hazel Drive in Belfast, pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen of breath while being in charge of a vehicle.
Police smelt intoxicating liquor. Her speech was slurred and she was having difficulty following simple commands. She was aggressive and abusive throughout and failed to provide a sample of breath.
A defence solicitor told Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, the defendant is "incredibly contrite". The lawyer said the incident was "far from edifying".
The solicitor said the defendant had driven to the shop and bought alcohol and drank the "whole bottle" of wine in the car but she was asleep and there was "no prospect" of her driving.
He said the engine was running because "I think her phone was charging". He said the car was parked with its nose facing towards a wall in the car park.
The solicitor said the defendant had been in the Crumlin area because it had been the first anniversary of the death of her grandfather and "matters just got too much and totally on top of her".
District Judge Nigel Broderick said "taking alcohol and being in a vehicle is a dangerous mix" and handed down ten penalty points along with a £300 fine.