The Magistrate’s Court was told how police officers who attended the incident found an overturned car at the scene. Sybil Ngige, 37, of La Route des Capelles, St Sampson’s, initially identified herself as the driver. An evidential breath test at the Police Station following her arrest found there were 52mcg of alcohol per 100 milligrams of her breath. The legal limit is 35.
It was then established that her work colleague, Eva Gachunga, 35, of Contree Mansell, St Peter Port, who was in the same vehicle, had been the driver. She too was breath-tested and gave a reading of 89 micrograms.
In interview, Ngige said she had driven to another job in her own company vehicle and she had teamed up with her work colleague shortly before the crash. She said she had drunk five cans of lager.
For Ngige, Advocate David Domaille said his client had admitted driving her own vehicle earlier in the day. Without her confession there would have been no evidence against her and therefore no case. He asked the court to give her credit for that when sentencing. She had thought she was sober enough to drive and had taken full responsibility for her actions.
Judge Marc Davies said drink-driving was an extremely dangerous thing to do but the defendant would get full credit for her guilty plea and full admission. He fined her £500 and suspended her driving licence for 14 months, which he said would have otherwise been 18 months.
Given the high reading, sentencing of Gachunga was deferred until next month, so a probation report could be prepared. He said all sentencing options remained open at this stage and bailed her in the interim with a condition that she must not drive or attempt to drive.