A barmaid who left a six-year-old boy scared for life when she drunkenly crashed her BMW - while almost three times over the alcohol limit - has been spared jail.
Terri Parker, 31, crashed the car whilst looking after the lad and another six-month-old child, who were both passengers in the back of the BMW.
She left the older child with a broken arm, broken leg, and a cut to the forehead after she ploughed her 320D SE car into a stationary vehicle and then a fence, whilst speeding around a bend. The infant in the car escaped unhurt.
A court heard the boy, who was not wearing a seatbelt, now had a "significant scar" to the side of his face and walks with a limp.
Parker, from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, claimed she had been binge drinking after the death of her newborn daughter.
Tests showed she had 238 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in her system; the legal limit being 80mg.
At Warrington magistrates court, Parker pleaded guilty to drink driving and two charges of being drunk in charge of the children - both of whom cannot be identified for legal reasons.
She was sentenced to eight weeks in jail, but the term was suspended for 12 months.
Prosecutor Emily Comer said that police were called by ambulance services after an accident on Thornton Road in Ellesmere Port at about 9pm on April 10 of this year.
"The report related to a traffic collision," Ms Comer said. "The vehicle had been seen speeding around a corner. Police vehicles attended the scene. A white BMW had crashed into a parked vehicle causing substantial damage."
Ms Comer said the defendant was "clearly intoxicated" and provided a breath test reading of 107mg at the roadside.
The prosecutor told the court that Parker had no previous convictions. She added that the drink driving offence was aggravated by a child being injured.
Solicitor Peter Barnett, representing Parker, said that she had been binge drinking due to the trauma of losing her newborn daughter six months previously.
"Prior to the birth she was a social drinker," he said. "She occasionally went out and had acceptable levels of drink. She did not drink to excess. However, when the girl died she was left suffering from anxiety and depression.
"She accepts that she was binge drinking at the time and clearly this was an example of binge drinking.
"She did not think through the consequences of what she was doing. It was poor decision-making.
"She did not have a coat for the boy. The pushchair was in the boot of the car, but instead of getting it out of the boot to walk home, she decided to drive the two or three streets home.
"She clearly collided with a parked car, accelerated by accident, and crashed into a fence.
"Nobody could be more remorseful than her, and she has accepted that she has caused the scar. I would struggle to argue does not cross the custody threshold but you have to consider whether it can be suspended. My argument is that it can be suspended."
Solicitor Barnett said the defendant had developed anxiety and trauma resulting from the significant incident in her life.
"With the trauma, the lack of previous convictions, the clear remorse, I would argue that the sentence can be properly suspended," he said.
Mr Barnett added, "She is not minded to consider driving in the near future. Even after the period of disqualification ends she may not want to consider driving for several years. She has also not had a drink since the incident - it has clearly had a significant effect on her."
Parker will have to undertake 20 days of rehabilitative activity and complete a 90-day alcohol abstinence monitoring program.
She was banned from driving for two years and ordered to pay £274 in costs.
Chair of the bench Elizabeth Jeddes said: "With regard to the excess alcohol offence, it's quite a high reading, aggravated by the serious road traffic collision with two children in the car. One was not restrained and injury was caused to that child.
"In looking at our guidelines and the aggravating factors, we believe that it has crossed the custody threshold - however, we believe that there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation so we will suspend the sentence today.
"That means you are not going to custody today."
