Instead of being put behind bars Lisa Swift has been sent to rehab and banned from driving because she is ‘petrified’ of jail and court didn’t want to ‘upset’ her kids
A drunk mum who crashed her car with her children inside has avoided jail – because no one could look after the kids. Lisa Swift, 37, was more than three times the alcohol limit when she got behind the wheel of her Nissan Juke, a court was told.
She was returning from the pub with her two kids – aged three and eight – and one of their friends when she crashed into a parked car. She also had another pint of lager at the pub in Warrington, Cheshire, before the crash.
Magistrates were told she had been drinking until 3am and then had another the two the next morning ferrying the children to her son’s rugby game.
Swift, who had a long-term alcohol dependency brought on by “a number of deep seated issues” from relationship difficulties, pleaded guilty to drink driving.
But she was spared a jail term after claiming there was no else who could look after the children if she was locked up. She was instead handed an eight-week sentence suspended for two years.
Angela Blackmore, prosecuting, told the court: ”The defendant was seen on September 14 after a witness contacted the police to advise that her vehicle had been involved in a road traffic collision.
“In the Nissan, there were four occupants, the defendant, two children and the child’s friend. Following a positive roadside breath test, she was arrested and taken into custody.”
Swift had been drinking cans of Budweiser until the early hours, Warrington Magistrates Court heard. She then woke up at 8.30am and had two more the next morning before ferrying her son aged eight, daughter aged three and the other child to the game at 10.30am.
The children were unharmed in the accident, the court heard. Defence solicitor Peter Green said: “This lady has never been in custody and she will struggle in a custodial situation.
” Most importantly there is not anyone else to look after the children. We do not want the children penalised unduly. That is perhaps the most important part of all, the prospect of an immediate custodial sentence and nobody to look after the children.
We do not want to unduly upset the children when there could realistically be an alternative.”
He added that Lisa Swift struggles to control her alcohol dependency at times when there is a trigger issue in her life, and is “frankly petrified of immediate custody”.
She has also ordered to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activity and a two-year alcohol treatment programme.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
#Drunk #mum #crashed #car #children #walks #free #care #kids
