By Staff Reporter

Last updated at 11:41, Tuesday, 27 November 2012

A young single mum who was two-and-a-half times the drink-drive limit when she was stopped by police in the early hours of the morning has lost her licence.

Kirsty Ann Hetherington, 20, of Beaconsfield Street, Currock, Carlisle, was banned for 23 months by magistrates in the city after she admitted drink-driving.

The court heard that she went out in Carlisle on November 16 intending to park her car and get a taxi home. However, in the early hours of the following morning she thought someone was following her so got into her Ford Focus and drove off.

Adrienne Harris, prosecuting, told the court that an off-duty police officer saw Hetherington’s car driving along Georgian Way onto Castle Way. It slowed down, changed lanes then speeded up again.

The officer contacted the police control room and minutes later another officer saw the car going along London Road.

The car was stopped. Hetherington was arrested and taken to Durranhill police station. A breath test showed she had 90mcgms of alcohol in 100ml of breath – the legal limit is 35.

Margaret Payne, defending, told the court that Hetherington hardly ever went out drinking and when she did she normally got a taxi home.

Mrs Payne said the incident was completely out of character and Hetherington was very distressed.

The court heard Hetherington was expecting to lose her job at a store in the north of the city.

She started work at 6am and had to drive her young child to a relative’s house to be looked after while she was at work.

The company had told her she couldn’t change the times of her shifts.

City magistrates disqualified Hetherington for 23 months because of the high level of alcohol and fined her £450.

First published at 11:39, Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk