Lisburn woman was found intoxicated in the driver's seat of a car, court hears
A Lisburn woman has been banned from driving for two months after police found her sitting in a car whilst intoxicated.
Melissa Annabelle Davis, 32, whose address was given as Woodbrook Avenue in Lisburn, appeared before the city’s magistrates’ court on March 20, charged with being in charge of a vehicle whilst intoxicated.
The court heard that on February 4, 2025 at 7.25pm, police on patrol in the Mourneview Park area of Lisburn were alerted by a member of the public to a woman sitting in a car, and they believed she was intoxicated at the time.
The police saw the defendant sitting in the driver’s seat of the car, which had the keys in the ignition and the engine running.
It was reported that her speech was slurred and there was a strong smell of intoxicating liquor.
The court was further told that the defendant shouted a number of profanities at the police.
A breath test gave a reading of 61 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
Defence told the court the defendant had no intention of driving the vehicle.
He stated that she had gone on foot to collect Chinese food and when she returned, the owner of the house had fallen asleep drunk and she could not gain access to the property.
She then sat in the car, with the engine running for warmth and to charge her mobile phone.
Deputy District Judge Austin Kennedy imposed a fine of £300, an offender’s levy of £15, and disqualified the defendant from driving for two months.