A 71-year-old woman who was nearly twice the legal alcohol limit has been sentenced after a terrifying driving rampage outside a special needs school in Merseyside. Carol Rose, of Ainsdale, Liverpool, admitted dangerous driving and drink driving following the incident on 19 April.
Dashcam footage captured Rose hitting a kerb outside her home before mounting a pavement and clipping a parked car's wing mirror on Westminster Drive. She then smashed into a Toyota Jeep Land Cruiser, sending debris into the air and writing off the vehicle, before continuing past children and parents leaving Merefield School, which caters for pupils with disabilities and learning difficulties.
The pensioner destroyed another wing mirror and narrowly missed lamp posts on Kidderminster Road before finally crashing into the back of a parked van. Liverpool Crown Court heard that residents found Rose disorientated and smelling of alcohol. A blood test revealed she had 156mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, almost double the 80mg limit.
Rose claimed she had only drunk two glasses of wine. Defence barrister Eric Lamb said she was genuinely remorseful and had no previous convictions. The court heard Rose suffers from arthritis, reduced mobility, and problems with sight and hearing. Recorder Graham Wells described her driving as 'awful' and 'really, really frightening', noting the CCTV footage showed a 'horrendous and persistent' rampage.
Rose was handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, with supervision and a rehabilitation requirement. She was also banned from driving for three years and must take an extended retest before driving again. The judge acknowledged her previous good character, calling the incident a 'moment of madness'.
