A mother-of-two has been hit with a driving ban after claiming she was ‘too overweight’ to blow into a breathalyser device.
Deborah Owens, 35, refused to take a roadside test in Malvern Road, Worcester, after her partner called police saying she had driven a car after drinking alcohol.
When officers attempted to take a breath test, Owens failed to blow hard enough into the device and explained it was because she was ‘an overweight smoker’.
Owens was arrested and on Monday she admitted failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis at Worcester Magistrates’ Court.
But speaking at her home on Tuesday, Owens hit back at officers and claimed she was being ‘fat shamed’.
Speaking at her home in Worcester, Owens said: ‘I don’t want any more to do with this.
‘As far as I’m concerned, I’ve been fat shamed. It’s not my fault I wasn’t able to blow enough air into the breathalyser.’
Deborah Owens, 35, refused to take a roadside test in Malvern Road, Worcester, after her partner called police saying she had driven a car after drinking alcohol
JPs heard how police were called to Owen’s home in Worcester on July 26 by her partner who claimed she had taken a round trip of 12 miles to Droitwich.
In a video played in court, Deborah Owens launched into a foul-mouthed tirade when police arrived at her home.
Her partner dialled 999 claiming she had driven while over the legal limit and had also hurled a brick though a window of their house.
She was heard screaming at her partner: ‘I will f****** smack your face in a*******!’
An officer is heard telling Owens to ‘watch your language’.
She then replies: ‘I couldn’t care less!’
In a second video of the evidential breath test the officer was heard instructing Owens, telling her to: ‘Blow, blow, blow, blow!’
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The officer said (of the device): ‘It stopped again.’
Owens is heard arguing with the officer, saying: ‘No it didn’t!’
Sarah Hurd, prosecuting, said: ‘Officers were called to the address by this lady’s partner to reports she is committing a separate offence (drink driving).
‘He told the officer that his partner had driven to Droitwich during the day.
‘She was asked by the officers to conduct a roadside breath test. At that time she was het up and she refused.’
The court heard Owens was taken to a police station where again officers attempted to take a sample of breath.
Ms Hurd added: ‘She was calm and does try her best to supply two samples in the three minutes allotted to be fair and the officer is encouraging her.
‘She is just unable to do so. It’s not a blatant refusal.
‘She has no previous convictions. It is going to cause her problems. She is going to lose her job.’
The mother-of-two was hit with a driving ban at Worcester Magistrates’ Court (pictured) after claiming she was ‘too overweight’ to blow into a breathalyser device
Representing herself, Owens told JPs she was a domiciliary care worker and needed to travel to people’s homes for work, including to Worcester, Droitwich and Ombersley.
She said: ‘If you do take my licence, I will be out of the door.’
When asked why she could not provide a sample of breath, she replied she was ‘an overweight smoker’.
Magistrates banned her from driving for 12 months, fined her £200 and ordered her to pay £100 court costs and a victim surcharge of £34.
She was offered a drink driver’s rehabilitation course which, if completed successfully, will reduce the length of her ban by 12 weeks.
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