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Repeat drink-driver narrowly avoids jail

Repeat drink-driver narrowly avoids jail

A woman who was caught drink-driving for the second time when she crashed in an Aberdeen car park has narrowly avoided jail.

Louise Thomson was almost four times the legal alcohol limit when she ploughed her black Vauxhall Astra into the back of a parked car in the Loch Street car park.

The 50-year-old alcoholic appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court to be sentenced for the offence yesterday having previously admitted it when she appeared from custody over the Easter weekend.

The court heard police were called after the mum of two crashed into the other vehicle on April 19.

When officers arrived they noticed she was smelling strongly of alcohol and when a road side breath test was carried out it revealed she was almost four times over the limit.

Solicitor Neil McRobert told the court his client had a previous conviction from “many years ago” and that at that time she had been disqualified from driving for 18 months.

He said that since the most recent offence, which resulted in her spending two nights in custody, she had been visiting her doctor regularly and was going to Alcoholics Anonymous.

He said she now recognised she had a problem and needed help.

Sentencing Thomson, of 29 Beechwood Court, Aberdeen, Sheriff Graham Buchanan said the matter was “very serious indeed” given the level of alcohol in her system and her previous conviction.

However, he said he recognised she was taking steps to help her through her addiction and – as a direct alternative to custody – he was willing to place her on a community payback order.

Thomson will have to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work in the community in the next nine months.

Sheriff Buchanan also placed her under supervision for the next 18 months and disqualified her from driving for four-and-a-half years – reduced from five years to reflect her early plea.