A drink-driver whose tyre came off after a crash continued driving on the wheel’s metal rim with sparks flying for more than five-and-a-half miles.
Colleen Murphy or Masson drifted onto the wrong side of the B9094 near Tarland as she turned a corner and collided with another vehicle containing a mum and her nine-year-old daughter.
Murphy, 60, failed to stop so the shocked mum turned her car around and tailed her, noting her number plate and contacting the police.
One of Murphy’s front tyres came off in the collision, but she continued to drive.
Murphy was almost four times the legal booze limit
Fiscal depute Dylan Middleton told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the mum had been driving on the B9094 near Tarland on her way to drop her nine-year-old daughter off at a swimming pool at around 3.30pm on January 17.
But Murphy’s vehicle came around a corner on the wrong side of the road and failed to correct its position, colliding with the car.
Mr Middleton said: “The accused fails to stop and continues driving. The complainer turns around to try to follow her. She catches up with her and gets a note of her registration plate.”
The woman continued to follow Murphy as she approached the junction of the B9119 with the A97.
Murphy’s front off-side tyre then came off and she continued to drive on the rim, causing damage to the road surface and sparks to fly from the wheel.
She continued to drive on the wheel rim for a total of 5.6 miles.
Confused look on driver’s face
At one stage the mother managed to catch up with Murphy and pulled alongside her while stationary.
She rolled down her window and asked why she hadn’t stopped but Murphy “looked confused” and did not answer.
Police then arrived and Murphy was arrested.
Murphy pled guilty to driving with 85 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 22 microgrammes.
She also admitted dangerous driving and failing to stop following an accident.
Murphy, who appeared representing herself without a solicitor, said she had been on medication at the time of the incident, mixed with alcohol.
Sheriff Lesley Johnston fined Murphy, of Forsyth Drive, Balmedie, £420 and banned her from driving for 12 months.
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