Woman driver had open bottle of vodka beside her

Chris Donegan • Published 14 Feb 2012 09:14

Police acting on an anonymous tip-off stopped a 43-year-old driver with a cup and open bottle of vodka beside her and discovered she was three times the legal alcohol limit.

Mother of two, Angela Carron, of Cloy Road, Meenmore, Ederney, was fined £350 and banned from driving for 18 months when she admitted the offence.

A prosecutor told Fermanagh Court that at 5.45pm on January 21, an anonymous caller rang police and gave them the registration of a Volkswagen Passat driven by a suspected drunken driver in Irvinestown. Officers went to the scene and found the vehicle parked outside a bookmaker's shop. They searched the area but did not find the driver. They then parked farther down the street and watched as Carron got into the vehicle and drove off without switching on the car's lights. She turned into the Brownhill Link Road and the police used their vehicle's flashing lights to signal her to stop. She continued on into Brownhill Meadows where the officers saw her open the driver's door and get out. She staggered and nearly fell over as she stumbled away from the car.

The prosecutor said there was a very strong smell of alcohol from Carron, her eyes were glazed and speech slurred. Police found a white plastic cup in the central console of the car containing a liquid that smelled of alcohol. There was also an open bottle of Smirnoff vodka in a brown bag on the front seat. A sample of Carron's breath produced an alcohol reading of 110 - more than three times the legal limit of 35.

The court was told that Carron had no previous convictions but there is a case pending.

Defence solicitor, Mr. Neil Ferguson, said Carron was going through a rather difficult separation and this in no small part contributed to her alcohol consumption on this occasion.

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