A drink-driving barmaid accidentally struck two pedestrians with her car before leaving the scene because she “got a scare”.
Lynne Murphy, 50, drank two pints of lager after her shift ended at the Foundry in Aberdeen then jumped behind the wheel of her car to drive home across the city.
But her journey had barely started when the wing mirror of her vehicle collided with two people who were trying to cross Holburn Street.
Fiscal depute Dylan Middleton told Aberdeen Sheriff Court how Murphy jumped behind the wheel of her red Vauxhall Corsa car at around 8.10pm on November 13.
Her shift at the Holburn Street bar had ended just over an hour earlier.
Drove away from accident
“A couple were walking east on Alford Lane and they tried to cross the street,” he said.
“When they were halfway across the road the accused’s vehicle appeared from Justice Mill Lane, turned right on to Holburn Street, driving off towards Union Street.
“The vehicle passed the two witnesses on their right-hand side. At this time the right wing mirror struck both their arms.”
The woman was almost knocked to the ground as she spun off balance, but neither were seriously injured.
Murphy, however, drove off and was only traced after the pair reported her registration plate to police.
Had drank more since the accident
Officers traced her at her home an hour later, where she said she’d drunk a further “two or three” vodka and diet cokes since getting in.
She told police she’d finished work at 7pm and had two pints there before driving home.
Murphy was found to have a breath reading of 78 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath, the legal limit being 22 microgrammes.
‘I just got a scare’
She admitted the charges at the earliest opportunity and represented herself in the dock.
When asked why she failed to stop she told the court: “I just got a bit of a scare.
“When I realised I had hit them, I just got a scare.”
Murphy, of Gilcomstown Court, Aberdeen, admitted failing to stop and give details at the scene of an accident, and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Could have had a ‘tragic outcome’
Sheriff Donald Ferguson told her: “This just shows you how dangerous it is to drink and drive and how you can be over the limit even on your admission of drinking two pints of lager.
“You hit pedestrians. This could have been a very, very different and tragic outcome altogether.
“Thankfully they don’t seem to have sustained serious injuries but there could still be a claim for compensation on your insurance.”
He fined Murphy £400 and banned her from the roads for two years. She may carry out a drink-driver rehabilitation course in order to reduce that disqualification period slightly.
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