Legal Help

Convicted Driver Insurance

jus1

New Member
My mother was stopped for drink driving this week and I'd like some advice. She is a recovering alcoholic and has been sober for the last 8+ years. The last few months she has started drinking again but in the last month had seeked help through AA, her GP and a local service. As with any addiction I guess it's not easy to stop and a couple of nights ago she started drinking into the early hours of the morning. The next day she nipped to the local shops at around 11am. On the way home she was followed by the police and stopped for her erratic driving, taken to the station and breathalysed, I think the reading was 54.

I guess the advice I'm looking for is should she seek legal advise, Is there anything that can be said in court to have any conviction reduced as I'm worried that not having her car will make it harder to get to AA meetings which are mainly at night and therefore make it harder to stop the drinking.


Thank you.
 
Yes, your mother should be legally represented in court. The police case will be presented by a Crown Prosececution Service Solicitor and the MAgistrates will be advised by a legal advisor who is usually a solicitor or barrister. It's only right that your mother's interests are protected by a legal representative as well.

Unfortunately the offence carries a mandatory ban. The sentencing guidelines suggest a ban of around 16 months should be considered. However persuasuve mitigation can result in the court deviating from their guidelines in appropriate cases. On top of this there will also be a fine. However, if the Court are aware of your mother;s drink problem then they may want to impose a Supervision Order as instead of a fine. This would involve regular meetings with a Probation Officer, probably weekly to begin with, for between 12 and 18 months.
 
Thanks Sean. I'll discuss with my mum what she wants to do. I guess she has to accept now that she will be losing her licence for a few months.

Thank you
Justin
 
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