A cancer sufferer who drove after downing two bottles of wine had endured a difficult few years in her life, a court heard.

Patricia Kelly was almost three times over the legal drink-drive limit when she crashed her Vauxhall Corsa into a traffic island.

Her solicitor told Kirklees magistrates that she’d had incredibly bad luck in recent years.

The court heard her family had been hit with cancer twice and the 55-year-old’s daughter had been diagnosed with the same debilitating condition.

Police were called following the crash on Slaithwaite Road, Thornhill Lees in Dewsbury just after 9pm on September 24.

There they found Kelly with her damaged vehicle which had hit a raised central traffic island and zebra crossing.

Kelly, who had no previous convictions, provided breath samples.

These showed that she had 100 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

Patricia Kelly has been banned from the road after drink driving (stock image)

This was almost three times the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.

Her solicitor Abdul Ali described Kelly’s case as “tragic”.

He said: “Over the last five or six years she has gone through massive trauma which seems to be getting worse. It is difficult to see how one individual can have such bad luck in such a short period of time.”

Mr Ali explained that Kelly, of High Street in Thornhill, suffers from acute colitis and has undergone surgeries.

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Her father passed away which resulted in her mother’s health deteriorating and she has since been diagnosed with dementia.

Kelly’s daughter has also been diagnosed with colitis.

Her husband suffered from cancer and in 2009 she also developed the disease and her treatment is ongoing.

Kirklees Magistrates Court, Huddersfield.
Kirklees Magistrates Court, Huddersfield.

The Huddersfield court was told that the day before her accident Kelly’s mother had suffered a fall and she felt very distressed.

After leaving work she drove to a petrol station and bought two bottles of wine which she drank before driving on for three miles.

Mr Ali added: “She’s spiralled into depression and sought solace in alcohol.

“It was an escape to get away from the problems that engulfed her.

“She’s ashamed of this. She’s realised she’s got an addiction and has been seeking treatment.”

Magistrates banned Kelly from driving for 24 months and ordered her to undergo six months of alcohol treatment.

She must also pay £250 fine, £150 court charge, £85 costs and £60 victim surcharge.