An Angus woman’s £19,000 radio phone-in win turned sour to disaster when she was caught at nearly five times the drink-drive limit after hitting a parked car.
Plumbing firm boss Lisa McMillan made the “stupid” decision to go and see friends in Brechin after a night celebrating the five-figure windfall last June.
The 47-year-old scooped £19,000 on the Radio Tay cash register competition the previous day and had been celebrating by drinking wine with her husband.
She then got behind the wheel after midnight but was so inebriated she shunted a parked car yards down the road after crashing into it.
It was her second drink-driving offence.
McMillan, of Graham Street, Montrose, appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court where she pled guilty to driving with excess alcohol in Brechin’s Latch Road on June 13 last year.
Her reading was 98 microgrammes, against a legal limit of 22.
Depute fiscal Michael Dunlop told the court a resident had heard a car alarm going off at 12.40am.
“He went outside and saw substantial damage to his vehicle, which had been shunted forward 20 feet towards a junction,” he added.
“Witnesses became aware of a car further down the road that had come to a stop.
“They found the accused within, and believed her to be under the influence.
Police arrived soon after and McMillan told them: “I’ve been drinking”.
She failed a roadside breath test and was taken to police headquarters where the 98 microgrammes reading was recorded around 3am.
McMillan’s solicitor, Richard Freeman, described his client’s offence as “rather unfortunate”.
“The day before she had won a competition on Radio Tay called the cash register and she won a significant sum of money,” he said.
The accused’s windfall was £19,018.17, which she scooped by giving the correct amount to DJ Grant Thomson when her number was selected for the phone-in competition.
Mr Freeman added: “On that day she couldn’t celebrate, but the following day celebrated with her husband and they were drinking wine.
“My client stayed up after she went to bed and got involved in messenger communication with friends.
“She then took the stupid and ill-judged decision to go and visit them.
“She had absolutely no intention of going out that day.
“It was out of character and, ironically, out of celebration of this windfall that she had,” added the solicitor.
He said McMillan’s inevitable disqualification would put “severe pressure” on her role in the James Lammond plumbing firm she runs with her husband.
Sheriff Derek Reekie, who noted a previous drink-drive offence from 2007, said: “Clearly you were in no fit state and you took an extremely foolish decision to drive after your celebration.”
He fined mum-of-two McMillan £1,500 and banned her for 30 months.
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