A WOMAN crashed her boyfriend’s car after getting behind the wheel for the first time, a court heard.
Lesley Hallas had no driving experience when she took the keys to the VW Golf after drinking in Huddersfield town centre.
Yesterday the 22-year-old was slammed by Kirklees magistrates for her “stupid” behaviour.
Vanessa Schofield, prosecuting, said that on November 21 Hallas was enjoying a night out with her boyfriend.
They had been drinking in the Camel Club when at 1am Hallas left.
Ms Schofield said: “The defendant went out to the car and drove it down John William Street.
“She collided with a metal tree planter, which then made her collide with a Toyota.”
Hallas, of Thorn Avenue in Thornhill, was taken to the police station where she provided a sample of breath.
This showed that she had 43 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
The legal limit is 35mg.
As well as drink-driving, Hallas admitted charges of driving without a licence or insurance.
Paul Normandale, mitigating, said that it was the first time his client had driven a car.
He added that at the time the mother-of-two was under considerable stress as her father is suffering from terminal cancer.
Mr Normandale said: “She had been in the club with her boyfriend and for some unaccountable reason she borrowed the keys and decided to drive.
“She is looking after her father, who is in the last throes of terminal cancer, and had not taken her medication for depression.
“This perhaps is the reason why she behaved in this thoroughly stupid and out of character manner.”
Magistrates banned for from driving for 12 months.
The bench also fined Hallas £110 and ordered her to pay £85 costs and £25 victim surcharge.
When warned not to drive during her disqualification, Hallas told magistrates: “I don’t have any intention, I scared myself.
“I’ll stick to being a passenger now.”
