A WOMAN who drove to her home north of Carlisle while over the alcohol limit told the arresting police officer: “I’m going to lose my job.”

At the city’s Rickergate court, 60-year-old Janette Jones was sentenced after she pleaded guilty to drink driving on Sunday, July 23. The court heard that she drove while just over twice the legal limit.

Diane Jackson, prosecuting, outlined what happened.

She described how at 2pm on the day of the offence police were tipped off that Jones was driving towards her home at the Dandy Dinmont Caravan Park, Blackford, while under the influence.

Police found her at home shortly after receiving the tip-off.

“She said she’d driven back home from the shops and hadn’t taken alcohol since arriving home,” said Mrs Jackson. A preliminary breath test produced a reading of 80mcg in 100mls of breath.

A later evidential breath test gave a reading of 73mcg of alcohol. The legal limit for driving is 35mcg. Mrs Jackson said Jones told police she had consumed half a bottle of wine and was dependent on alcohol.

She also told the officers: “I’m going to lose my licence; and I’m going to lose my job." The court heard that the defendant had two previous convictions for drink driving on her record.

Anthony Wilson, defending, said the best mitigation available to Jones was her admission of guilt to the arresting police officer, her cooperation, and her early guilty plea to the offence.

A close member of the defendant’s family had died within the last year and Jones struggled with this, said the lawyer.

He continued: “She accepts she has a problem with alcohol and she has been seeking assistance of her own volition.”

Jones had also sought bereavement counselling as well as help for her alcohol issue.

She also planned to move closer to her family in Scotland for support. She lost her job because of the drink driving, confirmed the lawyer.

Magistrates said the previous drink driving convictions were an aggravating factor, showing that she had not learned from her previous experience of being prosecuted.

But they noted her cooperation and that she had sought help. They imposed a £120 fine, with £85 costs and a £48 victim surcharge. Jones was given a  40 month driving ban.