Herne Bay drink-driver banned from road after crashing Audi A3 into parked car while taking son to Beavers
Published: 14:27, 02 February 2023
Updated: 14:31, 02 February 2023
A drink-driving mum crashed into a parked vehicle while taking her seven-year-old son to a Beavers session.
Amy Warr was twice the legal limit while driving her Audi lease vehicle on Stanley Road, Herne Bay and when police arrived she was on her phone trying to call her insurance company.
The officer who had been called to the scene at about 5.30pm on January 4 didn't have a breath test immediately available to him but when Warr was given a test at 6.16pm, which proved positive, the 44-year-old was arrested.
Warr of Mortimer Street, Herne Bay, gave a reading of namely 73 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit is 35.
She appeared at Folkestone Magistrates' Court on January 18 and pleaded guilty to the offence.
Dylan Bradshaw, prosecuting, said: "She was out of the driver's seat when police arrived at the scene and there was a child aged about seven in a Beavers outfit inside the vehicle.
"She was on the phone trying to contact her insurance company. It is a lease vehicle from her employer. She has no previous convictions."
The court also heard Warr, a health visitor for the NHS, had admitted to drinking mulled wine on the day in question and had been running late to drop off her son to his Beavers' class.
District Judge Justin Barron also heard Warr suffered some mental health issues after previously being in an abusive relationship and had been going through a tough time and was currently off sick.
On the day in question the court heard she had drunk almost a full bottle of mulled wine and made the decision to jump in the car as her son didn't want to walk to Beavers that day.
The court also heard, after being convicted of this offence, Warr may lose her job.
Judge Barron said: "This was very foolish. Particularly foolish because you had your son in the car and you crashed into a parked vehicle."
He banned her from driving for 18 months and fined her £184 and ordered she pay a victim surcharge of £114 and £85 costs.
If Warr completes a drink-driving course, her ban will be reduced by a quarter.
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Lynn Cox