A children's nursery worker who drove into a fence after turning up for her job nearly six times the drink-drive limit has been spared jail. Ilona Robinson, 35, was unsteady on her feet after arriving for work at Kids Planet nursery in Abergele, North Wales, in her Mini Cooper, a court heard today.
Robinson, who had been drinking since the early hours of the morning and was slurring her words, refused to give the car keys to the nursery manager and instead collided with another fence panel. Police were called and breathalysed her, taking a reading of 200 micrograms per 100ml at the roadside, and 170 in custody. The legal maximum in England and Wales is 35 micrograms per 100ml of breath.
Guidelines state that a driver giving such a high reading can face a prison sentence of up to six months. But a tearful Robinson walked free from Llandudno magistrates court today with an 18-month community order and a three-year driving ban. District judge Gwyn Jones ordered her to complete rehabilitation activity days to address the issue blighting her life as well as 220 hours' unpaid work.
Ilona Robinson, 35, arrived at the nursery where she worked in Abergele, North Wales, almost six times the drink-drive limit in her Mini Cooper. She pleaded guilty at a previous hearing. Prosecutor Siriol Jones said Robinson had been unsteady on her feet after pulling into the car park at Kids Planet on March 30. 'There was a clear smell of alcohol,' she said. 'The defendant said she wasn't aware she had driven into the fence.'
Police were called after she collided with a second fence. 'The defendant was asleep on a chair and slurring her words,' Ms Jones added. Defence solicitor Andrew Hutchinson said Robinson had been drinking since the early hours. The judge said she had driven to 'a sensitive area' but added: 'Fortunately for you nobody was hurt.'
Robinson, of Rhyl, was also ordered to pay £199 costs. Kids Planet is one of Britain's largest nursery operators with 266 sites across England and Wales.
