A mum has been banned from the road after failing to provide breath samples to police who suspected her of drink-driving with her 11-year-old daughter in the car.
Seonaid Christie had been drinking the previous evening but thought she would be safe to drive when she decided to take her daughter to visit friends the next afternoon.
But the 42-year-old was stopped by police who noticed her driving unusually slowly on the A90 and needlessly applying the brakes.
Christie then failed to provide breath samples for analysis at the station.
‘She’s horrified and ashamed’
She admitted the offence at an earlier court hearing at Aberdeen Sheriff Court but has now returned to the dock to be sentenced.
Defence agent Ian Woodward-Nutt told the court: “My client had drunk alcohol at home the previous evening with her partner and they retired to bed in the early hours of the morning.”
By the following afternoon on April 1, Christie “considered the passage of time since she stopped drinking meant it would be safe for her to drive”.
‘I can see that you’re obviously emotional’
He added: “She, quite simply, thought there would be no issue driving so many hours after drinking, and she’s horrified and ashamed that she should come to the attention of the police in this way.”
Mr Woodward-Nutt said Christie’s anxiety levels “significantly increased” during the process of being dealt with by officers and that she suffers from underlying mental health difficulties.
He said it was likely this and the increased anxiety played a role in her committing the offence.
Sheriff Shirley McKenna told a tearful Christie: “I can see that you’re obviously emotional and distraught about this incident.”
She fined her £420 and banned her from driving for a year.
Christie, of Sunnyside Avenue, Drumoak, previously pled guilty to failing to provide breath samples to police.
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