A high flying cosmetics executive has been slapped with a three-year driving ban after she was caught drunk behind the wheel heading home from a work colleague’s leaving party.
Robynne Adair, 32, tested more than twice the alcohol limit after police spotted her VW Tiguan being driven slowly and erratically along a country lane.
The former fashion buyer, who earns £48,000 a year as a brand merchandiser for a firm in Knutsford, Cheshire, later claimed she had been ‘pressured’ into attending the event on the last working day before Christmas last year.
She also said disqualification would condemn her to a five hour round trip via bus and train and on foot to make the 16 mile journey to work from her home in Fallowfield, Manchester.
Tests showed Adair had 80 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.
Inquiries revealed she had previously been banned for 20-months for drink driving in 2012 when she was studying at Manchester Metropolitan University.
At Stockport magistrates court, Adair, who got a first class honours degree in design and technology, admitted driving with excess alcohol and was given a three-year ban. She was also fined £576 with £143 costs.
Robynne Adair admitted driving with excess alcohol and was given a three-year ban. She was also fined £576 with £143 costs
The incident occurred at 9.30pm on December 23 last year after Adair was seen driving though the village of Mobberley near Knutsford.
Prosecutor Gareth Hughes said: ‘Police officers were behind a car which was being driven too slowly for the appropriate speed limit. They reported the car was swerving over the road and crossing over the central lane markings and into the hatched areas.
‘The officers described the state of her driving as ‘extremely poor.’ The officers pulled her over and formed the view that she was under the influence of alcohol. She was arrested and taken to a police station.’
In mitigation defence lawyer Lisa Morton said: ‘She was driving overly slowly for the road speed limit which is why officers became suspicious. She pulled into a residential road, there was no collision and no one in the car. The officers describing her driving as ‘extremely poor’ is not particularly charitable and not particularly fair.
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‘It was the last working day before Christmas and one of her colleagues was finishing on that day. There was no planned event after work that day but during the course of the afternoon, it was suggested that they would go out after work.
‘If she had intended to go out it would have been planned by using taxis. She felt she was put under pressure to attend this event for the person leaving but she did go on with it and she has made a wrong decision which she now regrets.
‘She works as a Senior Cosmetic Production Developer, is driven and has worked hard to get to the position where she is today. She has bought her own house and obtained a first-class degree. She feels ashamed to be in this position.
‘Her house is in Fallowfield and she works in the Cheshire countryside and is now going to have to travel two and a half hours via bus, train and with a 45-minute walk in Knutsford to get to work.
‘Her work premises is sometime split between there and Stoke as she has recently had a promotion. She will be under some pressure at work now and will have to let her employer know about this situation.
‘Her working hours are from 08:30-17:00 but she often works late until 19:00. Having to do that journey in reverse is not ideal having to do a 45-minute walk in the dark. She helps out her Mum with shopping and takes her to church which is now not going to be easy.
‘She says the period of time from her last conviction feels like a lifetime ago. She was at university at the time and a friend had picked her up and they had gone out that evening. Her friend went off when she was supposed to be giving her a lift back but during the night, she drove back to her home address. ‘That is now almost 10 years ago.
‘She earns gross £48k p/a and owns her own house. She has a loan of £15k spread over five years and debts of £5.5k. The car she was driving was on finance. She has a lot of financial commitments.’
Adair herself told the hearing: ‘I do feel really bad about this whole situation. It was the opposite to how I try to live my life every day. I got swept up in the moment and did something I should not have done.
‘I am ashamed and embarrassed and feel awful. I have worked really hard and I do not want people to think this is who I am as a person. I want to express how emotionally sorry I am for what I have done and for inconveniencing the court today.’
Sentencing JP Margaret Elvidge told Adair: ‘We have heard and taken into consideration everything that has been said today. This is your second offence, albeit the first is some time ago. But we have listened to you about this being out of character and how you feel upset yourself. You must not drive from now. You are disqualified straight away. If you do drive, it is an extremely serious offence.’
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