Woman rolled car onto its roof at Leicester junction after going drinking with friend

A woman rolled her car onto its roof on the way home from drinking with a friend. Nel Banas had reportedly gone drinking after she was left upset over relationship difficulties with her husband.

Banas was driving down Troon Way to the A607 Melton Road junction in Rushey Mead, Leicester, when her car struck a kerb on the traffic island on Thursday, September 12. The impact with the metal barrier launched her car into the air, first landing on its side before then stopping upside down with Banas inside.

After she was freed by emergency services, Banas was arrested and breathalysed by Leicestershire Police. The first reading of 67 microgrammes per 100ml of breath suggested she was nearly twice the drink-driving limit - which is 35 microgrammes. But she failed to blow long enough to provide a further sample so she was charged with failing to provide a breath specimen.

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At Leicester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (October 30), Banas pleaded guilty to the charge. Prosecutor Sally Bedford said: "Just after 8.30pm on September 12 the defendant was driving along, passing through the junction when she collided with the kerb on the traffic island and hit the metal railings.

"This caused the vehicle to go into the air. It flipped over onto its side before coming to a halt upside-down. The defendant was trapped inside the vehicle. Emergency services attended, including the ambulance service. There were a number of people in the area at the time who had seen the incident."

Ms Bedford said it was clear to the police officers that Banas was "stressed and in shock" as she tried to provide the breath samples - but that it was also obvious she had been drinking. She said: "Clearly it was a significant crash and there was significant impairment."

Simon Collingham, representing Banas, told the court his client was "utterly ashamed". He said she was a Polish national with a masters degree in economics who had come to England 20 years ago and had been working two jobs - as a cleaner and in retail. He said she was a married mother of two teenagers who had been having problems in her relationship with her lorry driver husband.

He said: "On the evening she was going through a very distressing and challenging time with her husband. She went to a friend's house to seek solace and did drink."

The magistrates said they accepted Banas had failed to provide the breath specimen due to being in shock, rather than any attempt to deliberately avoid giving a sample. Banas was fined £300 and ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge and £85 court costs. She was banned from driving for 12 months.

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