Drunk marketing manager crashed into care worker while more than 3 times limit

A woman who had been drinking strong cider crashed into an oncoming vehicle on the way back from her ex-husband's house. Caitlin Pheby got behind the wheel of the car after an argument with her ex and despite the fact she was more than three times the drink drive limit.

The 29-year-old had been driving back from her ex's house on Halloween night (Thursday, October 31) when her car crashed into an oncoming vehicle in Mountsorrel Lane, Sileby. The other car's driver, a care worker who was driving home, required time off work due to her injuries.

A breathalyser test revealed Pheby had 120 microgrammes per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes. At Leicester Magistrates' Court on Friday (November 15), prosecutor Peter Bettany revealed that Pheby was not badly hurt in the crash, but the injured care worker had told Leicestershire Police that Pheby had been on the wrong side of the road.

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Describing the crash, Mr Bettany said: "As she approached a bend she saw this defendant coming towards her on the wrong side of the road. There was a collision and her airbag deployed."

He said the woman suffered neck pain, grazes, aches and had a nosebleed after the collision. And because her job in a care home required her to spend most of her 12-hour shifts on her feet, the woman had to take time off.

Hugh Middleton, representing Pheby, of Loughborough Road, Mountsorrel, said his client was a marketing manager on £38,000 a year and asked the magistrates to consider a fine for Pheby, who had pleaded guilty to drink-driving.

The court also heard at length from probation officer David Charlton, who said Pheby had been with her husband about five years and they had a five-year-old son together, who had been staying at her ex-husband's house on Halloween night. Despite their separation, she had driven to his house so they could take their son trick-or-treating together.

He said: "The intention was she was going to stay over and she started drinking strong bottled cider. There was an argument and it was felt better she go home - an eight-minute drive. It was an impulsive decision."

He said Pheby was still employed but it was not certain if she would keep her job after the mandatory driving ban. Mr Charlton said Pheby had since stopped drinking and referred herself to Leicester addiction charity Turning Point.

He said her work meant Pheby was not suitable for unpaid work or a curfew. The magistrates fined her £1,216 and ordered her to pay £85 court costs and a £486 victim surcharge. She was banned from driving for 29 months.