A Kilgetty motorist who crashed her car in a ditch following a night of drinking at a friend’s home has admitted a drink-driving charge in court.

Forty-seven-year-old Pauline Maura Fearne, of Hill Rise, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates on Tuesday to plead guilty to the offence.

Prosecutor Abul Hussain told the court that police officers attended a single vehicle collision on March 5 on an unclassified road between Pentlepoir and Jeffreyston village.

“When officers arrived at the scene, the Vauxhall Astra was in a ditch and the defendant appeared to be asleep in the vehicle.

“Officers could smell intoxicants on the driver, and she told them that she hadn’t been drinking that day, but had drunk a lot the night before.

“Miss Fearne failed to provide a sample at the roadside and was given six attempts. At the police station she gave a reading of 89 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath,” added Mr. Hussain.

Defence solicitor Mike Kelleher told the court that Miss Fearne made a ‘disastrous decision’ to drive that day, even though she was on quiet back roads.

He explained that the defendant had received some bad news the previous day as she had been waiting for a property to be sold after a break-up with her husband, but she had received news that the sale had fallen through and she went round to a friend’s and consumed alcohol.

“The following morning, she thought that she was fit to drive, but had an accident and ended up in a ditch.

“She was passed by a friend who volunteered to get a tractor to get her out, but she waited and made no attempt to flee the scene.

“Miss Fearne recently started an IT company, selling software to transport companies, and her part involves the training of people to use the software, so quite how she will cope with that she doesn’t know.

“It’s very much up in the air, as the public transport in Pembrokeshire is not good!” added Mr. Kelleher.

Magistrates told the defendant that it was a very high reading recorded and that she ‘should have known better’, before fining her £500 for the offence and handing her a 22-month driving ban.

Miss Fearne was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a £50 victim surcharge.