At Stockport Magistrates’ Court Olivia Stokes admitted driving with excess alcohol
A nail technician who was caught drunk-driving home following a 2am pub lock-in has been banned from driving for more than two years.
Olivia Stokes, 23, was stopped by police after driving her Vauxhall Corsa less than a mile in Knutsford, Cheshire in the early hours of January 7 this year.
Officers saw her accelerate ‘very quickly’ along the 30mph Northwich Road, and after pulling Stokes over could smell alcohol on her breath and noticed two bottles of wine in the front passenger seat.
Stokes, who was driving to her home eight miles away in Northwich, Cheshire, said she had arranged to have a sleepover at a friend’s home in Knutsford but her mobile phone ‘died’ and she could not remember where their house was.
Tests showed Stokes, who goes by the nickname ‘Queenie’, had 99 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – nearly triple the legal limit of 35mg.
At Stockport Magistrates’ Court she admitted driving with excess alcohol and was disqualified from the roads for 26 months, and made the subject of a 7pm-to-7am curfew.
Olivia Stokes, 23, was stopped by police after driving her Vauxhall Corsa less than a mile in Knutsford, Cheshire in the early hours of January 7 this year
Stokes, who was driving to her home eight miles away in Northwich, Cheshire, said she had arranged to have a sleepover at a friend’s home in Knutsford but her mobile phone ‘died’ and she could not remember where their house was
Prosecutor Robin Lynch had told the hearing: ‘Just after 2am on January 7, police officers were on mobile patrol when they saw a Vauxhall Corsa driving on Northwich Road, away from Knutsford.
‘The vehicle accelerated very quickly, so officers stopped the vehicle to speak to the driver. There were two bottles of wine in the front passenger seat and officers could smell intoxicant on her breath.
‘She failed to give a breath test and was taken to the police station where her lowest reading was 99 mg. She is a lady of previous good character.’
In mitigation defence lawyer Victoria Thompson said Stokes was a nail technician who owns her own business but, because of Covid, she was not able to work for ‘a long period of time’.
Ms Thompson added: ‘Hers was one of the last professions to return to work which has had a significant financial impact for her. She was in a very difficult time in her life with her lack of work.
‘She was struggling and was taking fluoxetine for depression and anxiety.’
Officers saw her accelerate ‘very quickly’ along the 30mph Northwich Road, and after pulling Stokes over could smell alcohol on her breath and noticed two bottles of wine in the front passenger seat
Stokes, who was driving to her home eight miles away in Northwich, Cheshire, said she had arranged to have a sleepover at a friend’s home in Knutsford but her mobile phone ‘died’ and she could not remember where their house was
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Ms Thompson told the court that Stokes had been in Knutsford to see a client and was invited out for a drink with friends who she had not seen in a long time because of the pandemic.
She added: ‘She contacted her mum to arrange for her to pick her up but as the evening progressed, they went to a bar and had a lock-in after opening hours.
‘She recognises she should not have been drinking and it caused her to panic about the situation. She had left equipment in the car and she thought it was not the best place to leave it.
‘She was meant to stay at a friend’s address overnight but as she began to walk to her car, her phone died and she was not able to make contact with her friend at the bar or with her mother.
‘She then returned to the bar they had been in but she did not know where this particular friend lived and everything had closed at that point.
‘She began to panic about how she was going to get home and she made the foolish decision to drive. She deeply regrets her actions.’
Ms Thompson added: ‘This is a lady of previous good character. When she was stopped by the police she panicked. She was trying to give a sample but was not producing enough breath to get a reading.
Tests showed Stokes, who goes by the nickname ‘Queenie’, had 99 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – nearly triple the legal limit of 35mg
In mitigation defence lawyer Victoria Thompson said Stokes was a nail technician who owns her own business but, because of Covid, she was not able to work for ‘a long period of time’
‘The road she was driving on was a 30-mph limit which then leads to a national speed limit. She had accelerated too early, and that was what led the officers to stop her. There was no other evidence of bad driving.
‘However it was a blessing that she was stopped, because if she had continued to drive, who knows what might have happened. She is horrified and deeply ashamed.’
Ms Thompson told the court Stokes is due to start at a new employment company in Jersey from March 1, and has accommodation ‘sorted’ and is going to pay ‘£1000 per month including bills’.
She added: ‘This is going to be a fresh start for her. This will see her begin employment and give her some security.
‘She has family and friends in Jersey, and it is an opportunity for a clean break. This incident will not prevent her from moving to Jersey although her employment may be impacted depending on what the sentence is. There are no ongoing issues with alcohol and has support from her family.
‘The car was on finance and her father is going to take over the finance of it. She would be suitable for a drink driving course. She has lost a lot of business because of the pandemic. There were two bottles of wine on the passenger seat but it is not suggested these were empty bottles.’
Stokes, who was also ordered to pay £180 in surcharges, was offered a place on a drink driver’s rehabilitation course.
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