‘A fraction of a second either way’: Court hears how Ballymena crash nearly turned fatal

Suspended jail term for 71-year-old woman who was more than twice drink drive limit when she crashed her car through a shop window in Ballymena injuring customer

A 71-YEAR-OLD woman who was more than twice the drink drive limit when she crashed her car through the window of the Grove Road Spar shop in Ballymena, injuring a customer, has received a suspended jail sentence, reports Court News NI.

Marion Connolly, of Carnwood Hall, Ballymena, was at the town's Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

She pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and driving with excess alcohol in breath in relation to 7pm on October 17 this year.

She had an alcohol in breath reading of 94 - the legal limit is 35.

District Judge Nigel Broderick viewed footage of the incident.

A prosecutor said "significant damage" was caused to the shop.

Police arrived and saw a car at the front of the shop.

A shop window was smashed and "several fridges" were damaged with "groceries and goods scattered over the floor of the shop".

The prosecutor added:

"A customer was trapped between the fridges following the collision. He was thankfully freed and was receiving medical attention by Ambulance Service. The injuries were not as severe as first thought, thankfully I think he made a full recovery".

The defendant was located in the driver's seat of her car.

She said straight away she had "too much to drink" and there was a smell of intoxicating liquor.

The prosecutor said CCTV showed the defendant had initially "tried to park" the vehicle "but then it starts to speed up towards the store and then goes straight through the front of the store".

The defendant had no record.

A defence solicitor said the defendant was "extremely remorseful for her actions".

The lawyer added that on the evening of the incident the defendant "was extremely relieved to hear that nobody was seriously hurt and that one person who had sustained injuries was not badly hurt".

The solicitor said the defendant "has no intention of driving again".

District Judge Nigel Broderick said the defendant was not suitable for Community Service or Probation.

He recognised she had a lengthy clear record.

He told the defendant: "No doubt you have seen the footage. It is there but for the grace of God you didn't kill somebody. If you notice on the footage one of the customers just leaves the shop before you drive into it. So it was a fraction of a second either way.

"There was somebody injured and hopefully they have made a full recovery but this could have been much more serious".

The judge said if "ever there was an example of why people should not get behind the wheel of a car and drive" with drink taken this was it.

Judge Broderick said thankfully there was no serious injury or "God forbid" a fatality or the defendant would be standing in front of a Crown Court judge and jury.

He handed down a three months jail term, suspended for two years, along with an 18 months driving ban.

The judge said if the defendant decides to drive again she will then have to re-sit a test.