Drink driver gets 30-month ban

A Fife woman who was caught driving while she was almost five times over the limit has been banned for 30 months.

Clare Leonelli from Limekilns initially denied she had been drinking before getting behind the wheel on August 11.

The 54-year-old later claimed she had only opened her bottle of wine after returning from a shop in Rosyth, despite being caught on CCTV swaying about the aisles. She told Dunfermline Sheriff Court she had knocked back a litre of wine in 30 minutes before police arrived at her door.

Leonelli, of Sandilands, was breathalysed and gave a reading of 118 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 22 microgrammes.

She had been spotted striking the kerb outside the Sainsbury’s store in Rosyth by a concerned couple who contacted the police with her registration number.

A second call was also received by the police about someone driving erratically in Limekilns.

When police went to her home, Leonelli told officers she had not been drinking and had only returned home from the shop a short time before.

Her story changed in court when she claimed she had downed a full bottle of wine and another which was a third full.

Sheriff Charles Macnair QC found her guilty and banned her from the roads. She was also ordered to perform 200 hours of unpaid work and placed under 12 months supervision.