Crashed chef was over limit

Sharman Thompson smashed into a parked car before ploughing into a wall between two houses and hitting two other cars in Lytham.

Thompson, a 58-year-old chef, of West Moss Lane, near Wrea Green, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

Adrian Hollamby, prosecuting, said police received a report of an accident on Park View Road, Lytham on November 19 at 7pm.

An officer went to the scene and found Thompson in the passenger seat of a Suzuki Jimmy.

She was honest, confirming she had been driving the car when it crashed and that she was only in the passenger seat because she could not get out of the driver’s door.

A breath test showed 73 microgrammes of alcohol in her body – 35 is the limit.

Brett Chappell, defending, said Thompson, who was of previous unblemished character, had co-operated fully with the police and shown massive remorse.

The date of the accident was the anniversary of Thompson’s mother’s death.

It was an emotional time for Thompson and she had had something to drink. Since the offence she had not drunk alcohol.

She was decorating that evening with her partner and they argued.

Thompson then got in her car to take the dog to a park for a walk.

As she was driving, a car pulled out of a driveway and she swerved to avoid it on the narrow road.

Thompson was disqualified from driving for 20 months, fined £160 with £85 costs and ordered to pay a £150 court charge plus £20 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates.