May 3, 2021 1.09 pm This story is over 34 months old

Lincoln woman caught drink driving in damaged car by off-duty officer

Not her first court appearance for driving charges
| Photo: Adobe Stock

A Lincoln woman has avoided jail after swerving and running red lights while drink driving, less than three years after hitting and killing an elderly man while reversing out of her drive.

Sian Elizabeth Phelps, 27, was spotted driving erratically by an off-duty police officer on the A64 heading towards central York on October 21.

The North Yorkshire police officer was on his way to start his shift when he saw the car swerving between lanes and running red lights, according to The York Press.

An offside wheel and arch of her car had been damaged and James Howard, prosecuting, said the officer followed her with his hazard lights on to alert other motorists of her dangerous driving.

He alerted his on-duty colleagues and tracked her until she stopped and was arrested and breathalysed.

Phelps, of Lincoln Road, North Hykeham, was more than two times the legal drink driving limit, having drunk a bottle of beer and half a bottle of wine. She was planning to finish the bottle at the hotel in York, according to reports.

Her defence attorney, Kevin Blount, said she been struggling with deteriorating mental health and had decided to kill herself that day.

The court heard she had relationship problems, her latest relationship ended in July last year, and was admitted to hospital for treatment after that.

Phelps pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving whilst unfit through drink, and driving without insurance, as drink driving invalidates it.

Phelps was given an 12 month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months on the condition that she does 18 days’ rehabilitation and pays £300 prosecution costs at York Crown Court on April 14.

As well as this, she was banned from driving for three-and-a-half years and will have to take an extended test before being allowed to drive unsupervised.

It isn’t the first time that Phelps has been in court for driving-related offences, having been cleared of causing death by careless driving in 2019, when she reversed out of her drive and hit Donald Sharpe, 89, eventually leading to his death.