‘Drink-driver’ gets the needle
WOMAN BEHIND WHEEL IS STOPPED BY POLICE BUT REFUSES BLOOD TEST OVER FEAR OF NEEDLES
A SUSPECTED drink-driver refused to give blood because of her fear of needles.
Donna North, of Woods Terrace in Marsden, ended up in the middle of the road after running a red traffic light.
Police arrested the carer because she smelt of alcohol but she failed to provide the required specimen to see if she was under the influence.
Her solicitor said that her fear of needles prevented her from staying still enough to allow the nurse to take blood from her.
The 36-year-old now faces an inevitable driving ban, which will cause difficulties in her role travelling to different homes.
She pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen for analysis.
Kirklees magistrates were told that the offence occurred on August 10.
Police were on duty travelling behind North’s vehicle in Park Road
West, Crosland Moor, at 2.25am.
They witnessed her failing to stop for a red traffic light before stopping in the middle of the road with her hazard warning lights flashing.
As the officers spoke with her they smelt intoxicants on her breath and arrested her.
She was taken to Huddersfield Police Station where she failed to give breath so the blood procedure was implemented.
David Camidge, prosecuting, said: “The nurse tried three or four times to take blood but the defendant failed to remain still enough.
“This was a deliberate refusal and there’s evidence of an unacceptable standard of driving.”
North’s solicitor Sonia Kidd said that she initially intended to use needle phobia as a defence but her doctor was ‘uncooperative’ in providing her medical records as she had changed her name from Thompson to North.
She explained: “At the police station they tried to take a specimen of breath but she was unable to provide as she told them she has asthma. Because of her issue with needles she was moving around and they couldn’t get the sample.
“She told them she was frightened of needles subsequent to that.
“She hadn’t initially refused to provide the sample.”
Mrs Kidd added that because of the offence the single mum-of-three will struggle to do her job. She said: “She’s a carer and, because she has to travel to addresses to put people to bed etc, there’s going to be a financial impact of disqualification.”
Mrs Kidd said that her client was not ‘falling all over the place’ and there was no police chase. But magistrates found there was a high level of impairment and the case was aggravated by the traffic offence and the fact that she ended up in the middle of the road. They ordered a full probation report ahead of her sentencing on November 14.
North was banned from driving in the interim.