A north-east woman who got behind the wheel while more than three times the drink-drive limit has been banned from the roads for 16 months.
Virginija Macioniene previously told a court she had been “confused” about how early in the morning it was, and thought she would be safe to drive after staying at a friend’s house.
But when she was pulled over by police after being seen driving erratically in Fraserburgh’s Cross Street at 2.15am on September 29 this year, they discovered she was well over the limit.
The 38-year-old factory worker previously admitted driving with 112 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg.
At her first hearing, defence solicitor Stuart Flowerdew told Peterhead Sheriff Court: “She had taken her vehicle to the property but the intention was to leave the vehicle and sleep there.
“She did this and believes she was asleep for four hours. However, she woke on the early hours and was confused about how long she had been asleep.”
Yesterday, Sheriff Andrew Miller was urged not to impose too lengthy a ban, as it may have an impact on her ability to work, as at the moment she was relying on friends to take her.
Sheriff Miller banned Macionienne, of 125 St Andrews Drive, Fraserburgh, for 16 months and fined her £500.
He said: “I’ve taken into account all the circumstances of your case and your personal circumstances. You have no previous convictions and plead guilty at the first opportunity.
“The offence is still a serious one given the high alcohol reading.”