Medic drank bottle of wine for breakfast then caught behind the wheel | UK | News | EUROtoday

A advisor anaesthetist has admitted being caught drunk on the wheel – simply eight weeks after her was licence returned from a earlier drink-driving ban. Dr Helen Butterfield, 55, downed a bottle of wine for breakfast earlier than 9am then drove from her Cheshire house to satisfy a good friend for lunch on January twenty first this 12 months.

But she was reported to police after being noticed drunkenly pulling over by a close-by animal rescue centre to name her good friend to cancel and getting the Nissan Qashqai caught on a grass verge. Inquiries revealed Butterfield – who works at a number one neurology and neurosurgery hospital – was disqualified from driving for 2 years in May 2023 when caught virtually 3 times over the alcohol restrict in a BMW.

Dr Butterfield later went on a drink-driving consciousness course and bought her licence again early because the course slashed the ban by 24 weeks.

At Warrington Magistrates Court Butterfield, of Thelwall, admitted drink driving and given a 12-month neighborhood order after claiming she had was a recovering alcoholic who suffered a “relapse” on account of her ongoing divorce, the lack of her household house in Lymm and her daughter’s psychological well being points.

She now faces recent disciplinary motion from the General Medical Council after she was given a warning in November 2023 over her first driving ban.

Magistrate chair Carol Westley advised her: “We are not going to offer you the drink drive awareness course to reduce the ban as it had no effect the last time. You were only two months getting your licence back.”

Speaking from the dock Butterfield mentioned: “The addiction has been very destructive and I hope to move forward.”

Butterfield, who certified in 1993 has labored on the specialist hospital Walton Centre on Merseyside since 2004, the place her areas of experience included anaesthesia for spinal and scoliosis surgical procedure.

This newest incident occurred in January 2025 when police have been referred to as to the Cheshire Dogs Home by workers after Butterfield stopped by. Tests confirmed Butterfield had 92 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the authorized restrict being 35mg.

Prosecutor Lynne Sayers mentioned: “The vehicle was seen to stall a few times before the defendant tried to reverse back and went onto the kerb area and into a ditch.

“She went into the canine’ house to ask for help and for a carry, they’ve smelt alcohol after which telephoned police. She examined optimistic on the roadside and co-operated absolutely.

”She was interviewed in relation to this matter and her account is that she drank a bottle of wine between 7am and 9am. She was off work that day. She realised at 1pm that she had a lunchtime appointment with a good friend and units off driving.

”She says she realised she was driving over the restrict and that’s the reason she stopped on the Cheshire Dogs Home to ask somebody to provide her carry. She was requested if she had an issue with alcohol and she or he did admit it frankly. She mentioned was having assist for that.

”The defendant has one conviction for a similar offence from 2023 for which she obtained a 12 month neighborhood order and a two-year ban and unpaid work. This is a severe matter. It is the second offence in 10 years.”

Clare Roach, defending, mentioned her shopper was present process a “continuing care plan involving multiple sessions and therapies” to curb her temptation to drink.

She added: “This was a very impulsive decision by the defendant to get into the vehicle and drive rather than lose face with her friend and cancel the appointment.

“It is just to her credit score she realised that is the mistaken factor to do and went to the canine’s house the place she was going to contact the good friend to say she had been driving and made a silly resolution.

“She went into a small ditch, goes into the local area dogs’ home and asks for some assistance and the police were contacted.

“She gave full and frank admissions on the scene, full and frank admissions in police interview, and full and frank admissions on the first look of the court docket.

“This is a lady of high influence, a lady with a very substantial educated background, that has held down a high position of responsibility in terms of her career.

“But in 2019 she misplaced her father and went straight by means of Covid with out absolutely mourning the lack of her father. Embroiled within the pandemic she needed to be in work for 12 hour, fixed back-to-back shifts.

“Everyone knows the effect on the NHS – unfortunately, the defendant was on the front line of that point. She also had to deal with the worries of her daughter suffering from extreme mental health issues and her marriage being on the rocks.”

Her lawyer added: “Alcohol during this time was a go to and soon became a problem for her to the point of her first offence for drink driving but she completed the driver disqualification with no penalties.

“She remained sober and funded herself by means of the care she wanted. Everything was going nicely till January of this 12 months when she went by means of a relapse as a result of pressures of her divorce and the lack of the household house.

“If you are considering a custodial sentence due to the aggravating feature it will be detrimental to the recovery that she has made thus far. It will also be detrimental to her employment – she will not be allowed to go back to that field.”

Butterfield was additionally fined £351, ordered to pay £225 in prices and surcharge and was banned from driving for 40 months. She was additional ordered to finish a six-month alcohol remedy programme and 5 rehabilitation exercise days.

The Walton Centre is the UK’s solely specialist hospital belief devoted to offering complete neurology, neurosurgery, spinal and ache administration providers.