By Nick Griffiths

Last updated at 12:17, Wednesday, 19 September 2012

A man has appeared in court charged with drink-driving following investigations into the death of a woman whose body was found in a lane.

Trevor Dent, 49, of Swindale, Brough, near Kirkby Stephen, admitted driving while over the legal limit and was banned from the road by magistrates in Carlisle.

The court appearance follows inquiries into the discovery of the body of Rose-Marie Valente, 49.

She was found dead in a lane just outside Brough on February 27.

A file has been submitted by police to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to investigations into her death.

At Carlisle Magistrates’ Court, Jane Mackrill, prosecuting, told magistrates that police were contacted by Dent on February 27 and officers stopped him at 8am in a Ford 4x4 near Brough.

The court heard he slurred his words and was unsteady on his feet, smelling strongly of intoxicants. He failed a roadside breath test, was arrested and taken to a police station.

He gave a breath sample with a reading of 40 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

Geyve Walker, in mitigation, told the court Dent was a self-employed contractor but was off work due to stress.

Dent was disqualified from driving for 14 months, fined £110 and ordered to pay court costs of £85 plus a £15 victim surcharge.

He was offered a drink drivers’ rehabilitation course. If passed successfully this would reduce his ban by 14 weeks.

First published at 11:31, Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk