East Garston drink-driver Zara York overturned car in Eastbury

A DRINK-driver was rushed to hospital after losing control and overturning her car on a village road.

Shocked residents discovered Zara York, injured and still inside the crashed Ford Fiesta.

On Wednesday, January 29, the 37-year-old, of Front Street, East Garston, admitted drink-driving when she appeared in the dock at Reading Magistrates’ Court.

Lisa Much, prosecuting, said the drama happened in the early hours of September 6 last year.

She added: “The defendant was driving in the Hungerford area when police had cause to stop the vehicle.”

However, before they could do so, the court heard, events overtook them as residents of Willow End in Eastbury heard a crash.

Ms Much went on: “A Jacqueline Phillips stated that a vehicle had overturned outside her property in East Garston and she went out to check if there were any injuries.

“The car was on its side and the driver was inside, facing up.

“Ms York was helped to get out; there were no passengers, fortunately.”

Police and paramedics attended and Ms York was “injured and clearly in shock”, the court heard.

She was taken to hospital, where a sample of blood was taken.

Analysis subsequently showed 110mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in her system.

The legal limit is 80mg.

Ms York admitted a single charge of drink-driving.

Heulwen Everton, defending, said: “Ms York has never troubled the criminal justice system before in her life.”

She said her client had been suffering with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety having endured a significant personal trauma the previous year.

Ms Everton added: “She was using alcohol as a crutch.

“This incident was quite a shock for her.

“She has since worked with a crisis team [for the event which caused PTSD] and has now been able to abstain from alcohol.”

She went on: “My client is in work but she has not replaced the car as she knows a driving ban is inevitably coming.”

After retiring to confer with colleagues, presiding magistrate Mark Savage told York: “The court has a degree of sympathy for the situation you find yourself in.

“But it wasn’t just a case of drink-driving – you turned that vehicle over.

“It wasn’t a very populated area but you nevertheless posed a risk to members of the public in the early hours when that vehicle rolled over.

“The court must take that into account when considering the sentence.”

York was fined £200.

In addition, she was ordered to pay £85 costs, plus a statutory victim services surcharge of £80.

Finally, York was banned from driving for 14 months.