A mum downed a bottle of wine before smashing into tables outside a restaurant on Lark Lane while she was driving to the shop.
Tracey Bellis avoided hitting customers who were sat in front of Maranto's Italian by a matter of inches in what could have become a horror crash. Dramatic CCTV footage of the incident showed a man enjoying an al fresco drink with a woman moments before he was thrown to the floor by the force of the crash after the Audi TT struck a planter he was seated beside.
Liverpool Magistrates' Court heard today, Wednesday, that police were called to Lark Lane at around 8pm on May 21 this year after her car collided with street furniture in the area. Thomas Quirk, prosecuting, described how Bellis, of Livingston Drive South in Aigburth, had exited her vehicle following the accident and was located at the scene by officers, who described her as being "intoxicated".
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An initial roadside test showed that she had 101 micrograms of alcohol in her system per 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35mg. She was then arrested and taken into custody, where she was said to have been "upset and emotional".
Bellis, who was appearing in court the day before her 54th birthday, was "given three opportunities" to provide a further sample of breath once in the police station, but failed to do so. No injuries were reported as a result of the crash.
Frank Rogers, defending, told the court that his client had lost her job with a support service for people with autism following the incident, and is currently signed off sick from her employment in the youth justice department of an unnamed local authority. The mother-of-two also suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and back problems.
Mr Rogers said: "We are dealing with a woman of absolute good character. She accepts she has broken the law by driving over the limit.
"She cannot understand why she was unable to provide a specimen of breath in custody. What has mortified her and still does is that anyone would suggest that the failure was deliberate.
"She is adamant that she would never have deliberately refused. She had been prescribed medication for high blood pressure, anxiety and depression.
"There is CCTV of this incident – it was put on social media by the restaurant and viewed by massive numbers, resulting in my client losing the higher paid of the two jobs which she had because of this publicity. She now faces the loss of her home.
"She was vilified online for her involvement in this incident. This is a woman who is desperately in need of support." Mr Rogers said that Bellis was previously in an "abusive, controlling relationship" and added: "Her mental health has been fragile since then. She has had several breakdowns and is prone to panic attacks. She has had a licence for many, many years. On this day, she worked overnight and had very little to eat.
"At home, she drank a bottle of wine then, realising it was a bank holiday the following day, went to get some groceries. It was a very short journey, a two-minute drive."
Bellis admitted driving without due care and attention and failing to provide a specimen for analysis. She was handed a 12-month community order with a six-month alcohol treatment requirement and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 15 days, as well as being banned from driving for 20 months. Sentencing, magistrates panel chairman Sean McGuinness said: "These are serious offences. I think you know that.
"We have listened particularly carefully to the arguments around your failure to provide a specimen. We have considered whether this might have been a deliberate failure. We accept the representations of your advocate on that matter. It is still a failure to provide a specimen."
Bellis was also fined £225 and told to pay court costs of £300 plus a £114 victim surcharge. She appeared to become tearful in the dock as she told the court she was "struggling financially", and was allowed to repay the outstanding balance at a rate of £50 per month.
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