An A&E doctor who took time off from the Covid frontline to deal with her depression smashed her £30,000 car after being more than three times the drink drive limit, a court heard.
Katherine Williamson ‘couldn’t walk in a straight line’ and ‘had trouble speaking’ after mounting a grass verge and crashing her black Audi A4 into a street sign in Wynyard, Teesside.
The University Hospital of North Tees consultant was taken to police custody after the single-vehicle crash on September 6, last year and appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
The 40-year-old admitted drink driving as her defence solicitor outlined the sad tale of events leading to her criminal behaviour.
Katherine Williamson ‘couldn’t walk in a straight line’ and ‘had trouble speaking’ after mounting a grass verge and crashing her black Audi A4 into a street sign in Wynyard, Teesside
Prosecutor Jo Hesse told how a witness described her attention being drawn to Williamson’s 20-plate Audi driving ‘at speed’ at around 4.50pm.
Williamson ‘mounted the grass verge’ and ‘took out the street sign’ on The Wynd, near the junction of Mountstewart, in Wynyard.
The witness then approached the vehicle and police were called to the scene.
Williamson was described as being ‘unsteady’ on her feet, ‘couldn’t walk in a straight line’, had to balance on the police vehicle and ‘had trouble speaking’.
She was arrested and taken to custody where tests were undertaken.
Williamson provided a reading of 354mg in 100ml of urine. The legal limit is 107mg.
The court heard that Williamson has no previous convictions.
Charles Weidner, mitigating, told how it is a ‘sad case in many ways’ and Dr Williamson works as an A&E consultant at the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton.
READ RELATED: Couple tired of high-pressure jobs spend £23,000 transforming old van into mobile home
The Middlesbrough court heard how prior to December 2020, Williamson worked as a lead in the trauma department and was subsequently involved in Covid work in the hospital.
However, she became depressed and ‘took herself out of work’ to ‘resolve her problems’.
Charles Weidner, mitigating, told how it is a ‘sad case in many ways’ and Dr Williamson works as an A&E consultant at the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton
On September 7, last year, Williamson was released from police custody and admitted into hospital where she remained for three days.
Williamson began a phased return to work on January 4 and is currently around 40 hours per week.
Mr Weidner also said the doctor hasn’t ‘drank a drop of alcohol’ since the incident and voluntarily surrendered her licence to the DVLA.
‘With the nature of Dr Williamson’s work nothing is going to be achieved from a community order compared to the work she has put in since September, last year,’ the defence barrister added.
The chair of the magistrates’ bench Peter Bowes stated they would not follow the guidelines of a community order.
Instead Williamson was handed a court bill of over £1,400, including a £1,219 fine, £122 surcharge and £85 costs.
Williamson, of The Wynd, Wynyard, is required to pay the amount in full within 28 days.
She was also disqualified from driving for two years but was offered the drink driver rehabilitation course.
‘Please don’t get behind the wheel of a car and hopefully you can go onto recover,’ Mr Bowes added.
Source: Daily Mail
