Sarah Sangster, a drink driver with a young child in the backseat, was nearly four times above the legal alcohol limit.
On September 1, 2024, Sarah Sangster was observed operating a Land Rover Defender while intoxicated in the vicinity of Rockley Caravan Park in Poole.
A worried householder contacted the police, who came at approximately 9:25 PM to discover a youngster in the rear seat.
Sarah Sangster, aged 50, was discovered to have an alcohol concentration of 136 microgrammes per 100 millilitres in her breath. The legal threshold is 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
Sarah Sangster, residing on Devereux Road in Windsor, Berkshire, was subsequently prosecuted and appeared at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Monday, November 25.
She was disqualified from driving for 30 months, with the ban to be reduced by 30 weeks if she completes a drink driver awareness course.
She was also ordered to pay a fine, victim surcharge and court costs totalling more than £2,300.
Police constable Mark Burton, of the roads policing team, said: “By driving under the influence of alcohol, this motorist posed a serious risk particularly to her child passenger, but also to herself and other road users and people in the area.
“We were alerted to this incident thanks to a call from a member of the public and throughout December our ‘Festive Feedback’ Christmas drink and drug drive campaign is encouraging members of the public to report incidents where they suspect others to be driving whilst intoxicated.
“For every report that is made to police during the month of December in relation to a suspected drink or drug driver, this will be followed up by a call updating the informant about what police action was taken.”
If you suspect someone has been drinking or has taken drugs and is about to drive, dial 999 and provide the make and model of the vehicle, registration number and direction of travel.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.