Woman who crashed into tree was more than four times the limit

Emma Jepson, 31, of Kettle Lane, Needham Market, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol at Suffolk Magistrates’ Court in Ipswich yesterday.

Prosecuting, David Bryant said police were called at around 1.40pm on Thursday, August 30, by a member of the public after he had discovered Jepson’s silver Volkswagen Polo in a hedge on the B1078 Coddenham Road at Needham Market.

He called the police and made sure she wasn’t hurt.

When police officers arrived at the scene Jepson was described as being ‘slumped asleep in the vehicle’.

A roadside breath test was carried out and Jepson was arrested and taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre.

She was again given a breath test - this time blowing 166 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath.

The limit is 35 micrograms.

Mr Bryant said that during interview Jepson admitted to drinking a half litre bottle of ASDA brand gin but could not remember getting into her vehicle.

The court heard an officer also found another bottle of pink gin in her car, which was opened with around an inch missing from the bottle.

In mitigation, Chris Casey said his client had suffered mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, over a number of years.

He said she does not have an alcohol dependency but when she does drink, she binges.

Mr Casey said: “This was an extremely high reading, probably the highest I have every dealt with in court.”

He added she was sorry of her actions and was glad nobody had been hurt as a result.

Sentencing Jepson to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for one year, presiding magistrate Sarah Leigh, said due to the high alcohol reading, the custody threshold had been reached.

She said: “The biggest aggravating factor is the reading of 166 micrograms. That is seriously high.”

Jepson was banned from the road for three years and will be under the supervision of the probation service for the next year. She was made to pay court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £115.