School-run mum was five times over the drink drive limit

Katy Pasco had picked up her 11-year-old daughter and daughter’s friend from school before getting behind the wheel with 172 micrograms of alcohol in her body. She was almost five times over the alcohol limit of 35 micrograms.

She was seen repeatedly driving on the wrong side of the road, narrowly missing on-coming traffic and parked cars, mounting the kerb and stopping in the middle of the road.

Pasco then pulled over and her daughter told a man who had been following them: “Mum’s not drunk - she’s ill.”

She then drove off abandoning the two girls with the male stranger at the side of the road.

Both prosecution and defence lawyers said she was outside the sentencing guidelines for an offence of drink-driving which stopped at a reading of 150 micrograms.”

Pasco, a 38-year-old single mother-of-one who works as a carer, of Barton Avenue, Knott End, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

She wept as she was sentenced to 18 weeks jail suspended for 18 months, told to do 50 days rehabilitation supervised by the probation service, banned from driving for 40 months and ordered to pay £85 costs with £115 victims’ surcharge by magistrates.

Presiding magistrate, Richard Bridges, told her: “The risk of harm to other road users, pedestrians, yourself and the children was clearly immense.”

Andrew Robinson, prosecuting, said Pasco was seen driving a Peugeot 206 on Lancaster Road, Poulton, on April 18 at 4.45pm.

A man driving behind her saw her almost crash into on-coming and parked cars on multiple occasions. She then drove off leaving the two girls, who had been passengers in her car, at the side of the road with him.

Police tracked Pasco to her home. Her daughter answered the door, upset and crying and saying her mum was in bed.

When interviewed, Pasco told officers she had not drunk since 9pm the previous evening when she drank six double vodkas and lemonades.

Brett Chappell, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, had a combination of drink and mental health problems which led her to drinking huge amounts of vodka.

Mr Chappell added: “If you could hand-pick all the aggravating features of drink-driving, this fits the bill. There was a horrifyingly high reading, poor driving and two children in the car.

“She is outside the sentencing guidelines for a drink-driving offence - which stop at a reading of 150.”

After the offence Pasco, who was distraught about what she had done, had admitted for the first time that she had an alcohol problem. She had seen her doctor and was now getting help from alcohol rehabilitation specialists.