A drunk mum who drove straight into the front of a Tesco Express was shortly afterwards assaulted by a woman pushing a pram.
Emma Poingdestre was almost three times over the limit when she got behind the wheel and went shopping. A judge today told her it was “luck and not judgment” that she had not caused a fatal accident.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday (Friday) that police received reports of a Kia vehicle crashing into the front of the Tesco Express on Sefton Road in Litherland shortly after 8.30pm on August 24 last year. Officers arrived on the scene and found motorist Poingdestre “unsettled, unsteady on his feet and smelling strongly of intoxicants”, the Liverpool Echo reports.
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Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, described how the 55-year-old, of Moss Lane in Litherland, failed a roadside breath test and was arrested. While in custody it was found that she had at least 102 micrograms of alcohol in her system per 100 ml of breath – the legal limit was 35 mg.
CCTV footage, played in court, showed Poingdestre pulling into a car park before suddenly driving into the shop front, causing £26,340 in damage.
She was then seen driving away on the sidewalk outside the property for a short distance before getting out of her vehicle. At that point, an unknown woman was seen pushing her to the ground and then punching and kicking her to the ground.
The court heard there was “evidence that she was pushing a pram and the car almost hit her”, although this was not shown on the video. Poingdestre has no previous convictions.
Andrew Sinker, defending, told the court that his client had previously worked as an NHS dietitian and for Barnardo’s, and had helped her son run a pub in the New Forest before moving to Liverpool shortly before the lockdown. He added: “There is some suggestion that she almost hit the pram.
“That is not visible in the images and any evidence is clearly hearsay. On the day in question she drove a short distance to Tesco to buy food. She was in her son’s car, an electric car that she didn’t drive often. In fact, she puts her foot on the accelerator instead of the brake.
“It is a very short period of driving. The dangerous driving actually happened within seconds. She is ashamed of herself and regrets it. She has led an industrious life and has been a valued member of society.
“After an abusive relationship ended, she turned to alcohol. That clearly led to these offences. She took steps to address that and abstained for a while. She tells me she hasn’t had anything to drink lately.” three weeks.
“It is an isolated crime. In my opinion there is very little risk of a further conviction.”
Poingdestre admitted dangerous driving and drink driving. She was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, 100 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 30 days, and was banned from the road for three years.
Sentencing, Recorder Peter Cowan said: “You made the extraordinary decision to drive when you were three times over the legal limit which had the predictable consequence of crashing into the front of the Tesco Express causing £26,000 of damage and undoubtedly suffering shocked the staff and the public by the force of that impact. Make no mistake: if you had killed someone, you would have spent many years in prison.
“It is luck, not judgment, that prevented this outcome. You are clearly an alcoholic. You’ve taken steps to address that. You’re going in the right direction.’