Bristol transport planner caught drink-driving with wine between legs

Police caught a transport planner well over the alcohol limit behind the wheel in Southmead.

Mollie Wright was more than double the limit when officers noticed her driving erratically on January 28, with a bottle of wine between her legs.

The 24-year-old, of Filton Grove in Horfield, appeared at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (March 9) and admitted drink-driving.

Prosecutor Paul Kelly said: “At 12.10am, police officers were on patrol in Pen Park Road. Travelling in the opposite direction was a Skoda Fabia which appeared to be going in excess of the speed limit.

“This brought the attention of the officers, who turned around and watched the vehicle go into Monks Park Avenue.

“They saw the defendant indicate right but then she carried straight on. She then stalled the vehicle, police were able to engage with her and she parked up.

“The officers noticed a bottle of wine between her legs, which she tried to hide in the passenger footwell.”

Wright told officers she had been drinking just 30 minutes earlier.

“Unsurprisingly, she failed the breath test,” Mr Kelly added.

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The defendant blew 95mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg.

The prosecutor continued: “She has no previous convictions and she was very apologetic to the officers, but we can’t get away from the fact this was a high reading.”

Representing herself, Wright told the magistrates she wanted to emphasise the offence was “completely out of character”.

She said: “It was very circumstantial. I had just come from a very toxic breakup, and I know that is not an excuse in any way, shape or form.

“I’ve spent every day since regretting it, and it will never happen again.”

When the magistrates asked Wright what she does for a living, she replied: “I’m a transport planner. So this isn’t going to look very well to them either.

“I have to go on lots of site visits and I think it will compromise my job quite a bit.”

Asked if she had informed her company of the drink-driving, Wright said: “Not at this stage, no.”

The court clerk then told the defendant it was possible she would be sentenced to unpaid work or a curfew with an electronic tag.

Wright said: “I think the probation work sounds more reasonable than the other one.”

Asked is she had much in the way of means, she told the magistrates: “No. I’ve just come out of university so I’m still paying university debt.”

Wright was told to do 100 hours of unpaid work and pay a total of £180.

Handing down the sentence, Presiding Justice Sarah Sharp said the magistrates had to ban Wright from driving, but they would impose the minimum length disqualification – 23 months.

The ban will be cut by a quarter if Wright takes a drivers’ rehab course, which she said she will “100 per cent” complete.