Woman failed to take breath test after AA meeting

A woman has been convicted of failing to take a breath test on her way back from an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

Gemma Myra Sandars, 37, was attending the AA session in Bath on February 5 when the meeting manager told police she was concerned Sandars had driven there drunk.

Sandars, of Twerton Farm Close, Twerton, was guided into Bath Magistrates’ Court by her mother and sobbed in the dock after entering her guilty plea.

The court heard how police received a call from a member of staff at the Beehive in Walcot Street, who was concerned one of her service users had driven to the meeting while intoxicated.

Police saw Sandars get into her car and drive away on Walcot Street. When stopped she refused to provide a specimen first at the roadside, then again at the station.

Her defence attributed Sandars’ refusal to take the tests to “crippling anxiety” and panic attacks.

“She explained to me she had drunk the night before, but didn’t believe she was over the limit.”

Sandars had not had a drink since the incident, the court heard, and was also receiving support from domestic violence services.

“She has two children aged five and 10 and was the subject of a very difficult relationship. There’s now a non-molestation order against the father of her children,” they said. “She is now free from that relationship, but still facing the fallout.”

Sentencing her, the chair of the magistrates said: “We are going to move outside the guidelines, taking into account what we’ve heard today, particularly regarding your mental health.”

Gemma Sandars was disqualified from driving for 12 months. She was also given a community order with a “very short curfew” of 28 days, when she must be at her home address between 9pm and 6am. There was a victim surcharge of £90, but no order for costs.