Rhosymedre mum loses licence for drug driving

Rachel Richardson, of High Street, Rhosymedre, appeared at Wrexham Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old admitted that on July 25 last year in Rhosymedre, she drove an Audi motor vehicle when the proportion of Benzoylecgonine (a cocaine breakdown product also referred to as BZE) in her blood exceeded the limit.

She was found to have more than 800 microgrammes of the substance per litre of blood. The limit is 50.

Helen Sidhu, prosecuting, told the court that at around 1pm on the day of the offence, police were informed about a potential drug driver.

Officers approached the vehicle in Rhosymedre and saw Richardson in the driver's seat.

She seemed "agitated" and "very argumentative," and while the keys were not in the ignition, she was asked to undertake a drugs swipe, which she refused.

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Instead, she looked into the rear-view mirror in the car, and appeared to wipe white powder from her nose.

The high reading was obtained afterwards, when a sample of her blood was taken.

Stephen Edwards, defending, said: "She came to be in this situation in summer and autumn last year.

"She was going through a difficult and bitter divorce from her husband and she seems to have gone off the rails and had a breakdown."

Mr Edwards said his client, a mum-of-three, then began to drink and experiment with cocaine.

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"She's in a very different place today," he said.

"She is not having anything to do with drugs, and hardly ever drinks."

District Judge Gwyn Jones told the defendant: "You may have been going through some personal difficulties, but driving in this way with BZE in your system is not in any way acceptable."

He handed down a £150 fine and ordered the defendant to pay £85 costs and a £60 surcharge.

She was banned from driving for 18 months.