A repeat offender claimed the stress of lambing season drove her to drink as she was jailed for driving while five times the legal alcohol limit.
Veronica Irvine, of Carnie Brae, Kintore, pleaded guilty to drink driving and being abusive towards a police officer when she appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday.
Fiscal depute, Susan Love said that at around 12.30pm on March 20, Irvine went into the Co-op on Colpy Road, Oldmeldrum, and tried to buy alcohol but was knocked back because she was already drunk.
The 52-year-old went back into the shop 10 minutes later in a second bid to buy some drink but was again refused.
Just before 1pm, police attended Market Square and approached Irvine – who was in the driver seat of her purple Ford Ka with the keys in the ignition.
A breath test showed she had 120 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath when the legal limit is 22.
Defence agent, Liam McAllister, said lambing season had put Irvine under a “significant amount of pressure” and she had turned to alcohol.
He added that her partner has terminal cancer and she cares for him as well as keeping his farm running when he’s unable to work
Sheriff Philip Mann branded the offence “appalling” as Irvine already has two previous similar convictions.
He sent her to prison for four months and 14 days, and disqualified her from driving for six years and two months.