Woman was three times over the limit while driving to work

A woman driving to work was found to be more than three times over the limit when her car spun off the road.

Diane Oakes was driving from her home in Leven to the Halbeath park and ride en route to her job in Edinburgh.

Oakes, 54, of Lawrence Drive, appeared in the dock at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

She admitted that on February 14 on the A92 westbound slip road near Cowdenbeath, she drove having consumed excess alcohol.

Her reading was 81 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

Depute fiscal Claire Kennedy told the court that at 7.40am police officers saw a car stopped on the slip road at a 45-degree angle and went back to investigate.

Oakes was on her own in the car and when officers spoke to her they could hear her speech was slurred. She said she was on her way to the park and ride but officers noted she was on the wrong slip road.

“She stated to the officers that she had been drinking the night before,” added the depute.

Defence solicitor Jonathan Mathieson-Dear said: “There had been a large quantity of vodka drunk the night before but she was shocked by the reading.”

Difficulties in her family life had meant “she resorted to alcohol consumption as a crutch”, the solicitor added.

“She has a high pressure job and things were getting on top of her,” he commented.

Oakes works as an administrator with an investment company in Edinburgh.

In sentencing, Sheriff Craig McSherry fined Oakes £1,300 and banned her from driving for 16 months.