Drink-drive dentist ‘was only trying to help woman in heels’

A DENTIST caught drink-driving in his Porsche claims he was simply helping a ‘damsel in distress’.

David Orme, 58, was stopped by police while collecting a woman who was struggling to walk in high heels, a court heard.

Officers pulled him over after a patrol car spotted him performing an ‘abrupt turn’ – which was believed to be an attempt to avoid them.

Orme, from Drury in Flintshire, was breathalysed and found to be ‘slightly’ over the drink drive limit.

Appearing before magistrates in Chester, he admitted drink-driving on July 26, was ordered to pay £1,384 and banned from driving for 12 months.

In his defence he claimed he only got behind the wheel of his black sports car to offer the unnamed woman a lift. Richard Hallows, defending, said: ‘He was helping a damsel in distress. She had high heeled shoes on and she thought he was fit to drive and Mr Orme thought he was fit to drive.’

Orme said he had drunk two glasses of wine but thought he would be safe to drive, as did his passenger.

He was found to have 43 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – over the 35 microgram legal limit.

Mr Hallows also told magistrates that Orme had not intended to avoid police, and was ‘thoroughly ashamed’ at having to appear in court.

Besides his fine and driving ban, Orme – who is married with grown-up children – was also ordered to pay £85 in court costs and a £120 victim surcharge.