Co Armagh woman (50) was over the alcohol limit when she scraped the side of a parked car, Craigavon court hears

Sonia Duff, from Elmwood Close, Lurgan, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with driving with excess alcohol.

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On April 9 this year, police were called to a report that a female driver had run into a parked car in Charles Street, Lurgan, at 5pm.

When police arrived they spotted the defendant. “She was turning the vehicle and parked on the footpath. Police also observed damage on the suspect’s vehicle and the nearside front tyre. There was also damage to the parked vehicle as well,” said the Prosecutor.

When police spoke with Duff she appeared to be “under the influence of alcohol with slurred speech and a strong smell of intoxicating liquor”. The Prosecutor revealed a preliminary breath test was 71 micrograms of alcohol to 100ml of breath.

When cautioned by police she told them she had a glass of wine at 12.30pm. At Lurgan Custody Suite an evidential reading was 48 micrograms of alcohol. The legal limit in NI is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

Duff’s lawyer said his client has no criminal record and "has never been in trouble before in her life”.

“She is very embarrassed at being here today,” said the lawyer, adding the defendant lost her mother last year and the night before this incident was her first night socialising for a long time and had been at a friend’s house for something to drink.

"That day she met her partner for lunch. She said she had a glass of wine and drank half of it. She felt she could drive,” he said.

“There was an accident where her car scraped along another car,” said the lawyer, adding that his client didn’t realise her tyre was flat.

The court heard Duff is currently not working due to health issues and problems with mobility. Her lawyer said she uses her car to drive her widowed father around.

District Judge Natasha Fitzsimmons said she could see the defendant had a clear record and never before the courts before. “But the courts do take these offences seriously.”

She banned her from driving for 12 months until tested and fined her £300 plus the £15 Offender Levy.