Boozed- up woman, 46 smashes into tractor

Motorist five times limit

of the crash, and this had left her £ 6,500 out of pocket as she was only two years into a four- year repayment deal.

Mr Gallagher said his client had been proactive in seeking help from both the Ayrshire Council on Alcohol and mental health colleagues at Crosshouse.

Sheriff John Montgomery noted that McHugh had a previous 18 months ban for drink driving, and this new offence could lead to a jail term.

Mr Gallagher pleaded: “If she loses her liberty, she loses her job and her house.

“I would ask you to step back from a custodial sentence. This has been a real shock to her system - a wake- up call.

“She hadn’t been up front and honest with her parents on her panic attacks, but now they see her on a daily basis.”

McHugh stood head bowed in the dock as Sheriff Montgomery told her: “I have to say I’m very concerned about the circumstances which led you to drive dangerously.

“You willingly drank from a bottle of wine, and proceeded to drive, resulting in a breath count being more than five times the limit.

“I take into account your personal circumstances and health difficulties.

“Just at the margin, I’m prepared to deal with you in a way that is an alternative to custody.”

The sheriff placed McHugh on an 18 months supervision order, to include alcohol counselling.

And she has to complete 160 hours of unpaid work, within six months.

Further, she is disqualified from driving for four years, and will have to re- sit an extended driving test in order to regain her licence.

McHugh, formerly of Ballochmyle House, Mauchline, now has an address in Kilmarnock’s Jura Gardens.

This has been a real shock to her system