Concern over alcohol reading on school day

A 50-year-old woman who was nearly four times the drink drive limit was banned from driving for 18 months last Wednesday at Craigavon Magistrates Court.
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Court

Gina Mezite, whose address was given as Avondale Manor, Craigavon, was also fined £350 and ordered to pay a £15 offender’s levy for excess alcohol in breath.

For driving without due care and attention she was fined £75.

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The court heard that on April 14 this year at 1pm a police mobile patrol received a report of a woman who was intoxicated getting into a car.

The witness followed the vehicle out of a car park and it was being driven erratically, swerving onto the wrong side of the road on three separate occasions in one or two minutes.

Police attended at the home of the defendant and she failed a preliminary breath test.

At Lurgan custody suite an evidential test gave a reading of 131 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the limit is 35.

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Mr John McAtamney, representing the defendant, said his client had been driving for 25 years with a clear record and no points on her licence.

He added that she had only been driving the short distance from Lidl to her home and when she got there had more alcohol before the police arrived.

District Judge, Mrs Bernie Kelly, said the 18 month ban was reflective of what was an exceptionally high reading in the afternoon on a school day.