A Fife woman caught sitting in her car while more than five times over the drink drive limit has been fined £600.
Careen McLuckie claimed she was only inside the Vauxhall hatchback on August 3 to charge her phone, while waiting for a taxi she had called.
The 29-year-old had been driving back to her home address in Kennoway when the car began to “splutter”, prompting her to pull over.
After realising she had a friend who lived nearby, McLuckie went to their house where she accepts she consumed “quite a few” drinks.
Defence solicitor Kerr Sneddon told the court his client “went back to her car to call a taxi and charge her phone while waiting for it”.
He said: “She had not been driving and had no intention of driving. In her state of intoxication, she did not realise the seriousness of the matter.
“She is very distressed about this matter. If she was to be disqualified from driving, it would cause some difficulty in her getting to work. She currently works at Diageo in Leven.”
Depute fiscal Nicola Henderson said that McLuckie came to the attention of local officers on routine patrol in the early hours of the morning.
She was seen sitting in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and the keys were in the ignition at around 1.57am.
The court was told McLuckie gave a roadside breath test at the scene which registered a reading of 113 microgrammes before being taken to Kirkcaldy Police Station.
The legal breath limit in Scotland is 22 microgrammes.
McLuckie managed to give a second breath sample at the police office but failed six times on the required third test after blowing too hard on the device.
She pled guilty to one charge of failing to provide a breath sample when required.
Sheriff Keith O’Mahony accepted McLuckie’s explanation and fined her £600 and endorsed her licence with 10 penalty points.
When offered payment of £50 per month, the sheriff said “I thought you said she had a good job?” before the amount was increased to £100 a month.
