Drink driver crashed at three times over limit

A drink driver was more than three times over the limit when she crashed into a bridge near a historic North East landmark.

Karin Neasham was found by a beach warden to be blocking the road after colliding with railings on a bridge near Tynemouth Priory.

A court was told that the 59-year-old was unable to move her car when asked – prompting the warden to do it for her – and instead pulled a bottle of wine from her handbag and continued drinking.

The police were called and Neasham, a teaching assistant, was arrested having failed seven attempts to do a roadside breath test.

Neasham, of Heybrook Avenue, North Shields, has now been banned from the roads for 30 months after she pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard the beach warden spotted that Neasham’s car had collided with railings on the bridge in The Priory carpark at around 4.40pm on August 3.

He went to the vehicle, which was blocking the road, and saw Neasham in the driver’s seat.

Prosecutor Bethany Jendrzejewski said the warden told Neasham to move her car but she was unable to and so it was moved for her.

“As the defendant got out the vehicle, she got a bottle of wine out of her handbag and drank from it,” Miss Jendrzejewski said. “The officer saw that her eyes were glazed and she slurred her words and smelled of alcohol. She made seven failed attempts to do a roadside breath test, so was taken to the police station.”

The court heard that, at the station, Neasham, who has no past convictions, was found to be more than three times over the limit, blowing 126 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml, the legal limit being 35 microgrammes.

Mark Richardson, mitigating, said Neasham had suffered from “long-standing” mental health problems and had been struggling to look after her elderly mother.

Neasham was given a 12-month community order, with 200 hours of unpaid work.