Woman drove into road sign after drinking

A WIFE who exchanged intimate SnapChat messages with a man slammed her car into a road sign during a drunken crash a few days after her husband caught her out.

Support worker Alison Marshall crashed into the sign and caused “significant” damage to the vehicle but walked away from the collision unhurt.

Perth Sheriff Court was told the crash came just a week after a bust-up with her husband about her private online messages to another man.

Fiscal depute Sean Maher said: “At 12.40am on May 10 last year she was driving along the A9, north towards Perth.

“At Broom of Dalreoch she collided with a road sign, resulting in significant damage to the vehicle.”

The incident was reported to police and when they found Marshall she was clearly under the influence as her speech was slurred and she smelled of alcohol, Mr Maher told the court.

She gave a positive roadside breath test and later gave a reading of more than three times the limit.

Marshall, 32, admitted driving with excess alcohol on the A9 Stirling to Perth road on May 10 last year.

Solicitor John McLaughlin said: “There is a rather unfortunate background to this. Alcohol was playing a large part in her life at the time.

“The family are now back together and working their way through the problems they have had to hopefully come out the other side in a better position.

“She has used this as a means of moving forward. She’s very apologetic to all who were concerned. It was a waste of their time caused by her own stupidity.”

Sheriff Neil Bowie said: “This was an extremely reckless thing to do. I realise you had difficulties, but nonetheless you intentionally drove your vehicle after consuming a large amount of alcohol in what would appear to have been an attempt to harm yourself by crashing. You put other road users at significant risk by doing so. You have been quite candid. Given the level of intoxication, disqualification is inevitable.”

She was banned from driving for 12 months and fined £500. Marshall is still to be sentenced for the SnapChat incident which happened on May 3 last year.

In that case at the same court, married Marshall admitted flying into a rage when her husband caught her exchanging SnapChat messages with another man.

The court was told Marshall, of Perth Road, Scone, lost her job as a support worker for adults with autism as a result of the domestically aggravated incident during lockdown.

Marshall admitted acting in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting and swearing in Auchterarder on May 3 and she is due to be sentenced in that case next month.