HGV driver, who crashed her Peugeot 107 in an early morning Christmas collision near Portadown, pleaded guilty to driving while unfit, Craigavon court hears
A Co Armagh HGV driver, who crashed her car in an early morning trip near Portadown, is given a driving ban.
Sarah Edgar, aged 35, from Madden Heights, Tandragee, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to driving while unfit through drink/drugs.
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On December 28 last year at 4.40am police received a report of a single vehicle road traffic collision involving a Peugeot 107 on the Tandragee Road Portadown near Whiteside’s Hill.
“Two females within the vehicle had made off in the direction of Tandragee,” a Prosecutor told the court, adding that two women matching the description were found by police walking towards Tandragee.
"The defendant made an unsolicited comment, ‘it was me, I was driving’,” the Prosecutor said, adding that police noted that she was “unsteady on her feet, slurred speech and a strong smell of intoxicating liquor emanating from her breath”.
She was also found with the keys to the car of which she was the registered keeper and was insured to drive.
A preliminary breath test was 114 micrograms of alcohol to 100 millilitres of breath. Edgar was brought to hospital were she provided a sample of blood which when tested showed 125 milligrams of alcohol to 100 millilitres of blood. The legal blood alcohol limit for drivers is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
Edgar’s lawyer said his client had made admissions to police at the scene and later in interview. He told the court Edgar, who is a HGV driver, has three children. “This is obviously going to significantly impact her career. It will put her career on hold for some time.
"She admits to me and to police at the time this was a very foolish thing and entirely regrets it,” said the lawyer. “She had been drinking earlier in the evening. A friend of her was at the house.”
He added she had recently gone through a marriage break up and her grandfather had passed away.
He explained that having consumed alcohol she went to bed but her friend woke her up and asked her to take her home. “She very foolishly thought she would be fit to get behind the wheel of the car. That turned out to be not the case,” he said.
"She’s very lucky and accepts she is very lucky that there was no one else hurt," he said, asking the judge to deal with matter in such a way she could resume her career as a HGV driver.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan said: “I believe you when you say it was a very stupid thing to do. Sadly it is going to cost you dearly in relation to your HGV driving whenever that resumes – also three young kids without a driving licence.
"Given your early plea today, I will not go beyond the minimum disqualification which will be one of 12 months," said the District Judge. “Sadly for you Ms Edgar that is until you are tested.”
He fined Edgar £150 plus the Offender Levy of £15. "Given your reading but for the intervention of your solicitor today, it would have been much higher,” he said.