The sister of former world champion Joe Calzaghe crashed into a traffic sign while over the drink-drive limit and claims she felt she was being "harassed" by the Welsh boxing legend, a court has heard. Melissa Calzaghe drove at more than three times the alcohol limit after downing a bottle of Bailey's as well as some vodka.
The 46-year-old, of Beech Grove in Oakdale, has addiction issues with alcohol but had been abstinent "for many years". Before the crash she had attended a party with workmates but did not want them to know she did not drink which led her to accept a bottle of Bailey's as a gift, her lawyer Rod Smith told Newport Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
Mr Smith said: "She had been abstinent for many years but it has been a problem trying to hide it from various people... She took the bottle home. If she had left it at the party it would have been beneficial but she succumbed to temptation and drank it in one go. She then wanted cigarettes and wasn't thinking straight when she went to a shop and purchased vodka. She took a few sips and the accident happened."
