A woman caught driving after taking cocaine was so far over the limit her test results couldn’t be accurately measured by the machine.
Lucretia Donaghy had more than 1,000mcg of cocaine breakdown in one litre of blood, the legal limit being 50mcg.
The 32-year-old’s reading was so high it went beyond what the drug saliva machine could calibrate, Elgin Sheriff Court heard.
The sheriff told her that if she had been 20 times the drink-drive limit she would be “playing a harp in heaven”.
Fiscal depute Shay Treanor said Donaghy’s silver Ford was stopped by police officers on mobile patrol on Waulkmill Road, Elgin, at around 2.30pm on June 22 last year.
“The accused came to the attention of officers, and they asked her to stop on Barlink Road,” he said.
“A search of the vehicle and her person was carried out and controlled drugs were recovered and a drug swipe carried out.
“She received a positive saliva specimen for cocaine.”
Donaghy was cautioned and charged and taken to Elgin Police Station.
‘She’d be playing a harp in heaven’
“Because the reading was well above the highest calibration standard used, the reading had to be rounded down to the highest calibrated amount,” the fiscal added.
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank asked: “She was 20 times the legal limit. How did that equate to an ability to drive in this case?
“If that was equivalent to drink-driving Ms Donaghy would be playing a harp in heaven wouldn’t she?”
Donaghy’s defence agent Grant Dalglish said: “My understanding is that benzoylecgonine is what cocaine leaves behind in the system. It multiplies and multiplies but it’s not something that can be tested for impairment.
“I would submit that there has been no narration or evidence that she was driving all over the place. I appreciate it is a high number but there’s no evidence of how that impacted her driving.”
Had turned to cocaine in grief
The solicitor added that Donaghy had two dependants and had fallen into cocaine use at the time after a death in the family.
“She has taken cocaine, I think, the day before,” he said adding that her partner died last month but, to her credit, she has not turned to drugs.
Donaghy, of Anderson Drive, Elgin, admitted a charge of driving whilst unfit through drugs.
Sheriff Cruickshank fined her £420 and banned her from the roads for one year.
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