A mum who was caught driving while more than 11 times the drug drive limit, after snorting cocaine at a party, has been banned from driving for three years. Kerry Walker, 31, got behind the wheel of her friends Range Rover after having to 'urgently' pick up her child from a sleepover, reports Manchester Evening News.
The 31-year-old was at her friend's party with no intention of driving but claims she had an unexpected call from her daughter asking to be picked up, Stockport Magistrates' Court heard. Walker took off in the Evoque belonging to her friend to embark on the 21 mile trip to collect her 13-year-old.
However, during the journey she was pulled over by the police after a number plate recognition app flagged the car was being driven on an invalid Spanish insurance policy. Tests taken showed the mother had traces of the cocaine compound Benzoylecgonine in her system amounting to 557 microgrammes in 100 millilitres of blood.
The legal limit is 50mg and the part-time cleaner also tested positive for cocaine itself, after snorting it at the party. Walker claims she had only taken cocaine at a party 48 hours before her arrest and didn't realise the drug was still in her system.
The mother has alleges that she only made the 'stupid decision' after her daughter begged her to be picked up from the sleepover she was attending. Previous inquires showed that Walker had a previous conviction for drink driving from 2019.
Gareth Hughes, prosecuting said: "On the evening of 9th of April this year the defendant was at a friend’s house when she received a message from her 13-year-old daughter saying that she really wanted to come home from a friend’s house.
"She said that the message seemed urgent so she got in her friend’s car, a Range Rover Evoque SUV, and drove to pick her daughter up. Shortly after, when Walker was driving on Lark Hill Road in Edgeley officers nearby noticed with their automatic number plate recognition system that the friend’s car did not currently have a valid insurance policy.
"The officers signalled Walker to stop, which she did, and questioned her about her lack of insurance. Walker was insistent that the car had a valid insurance policy that would cover her.
"Following this the police then conducted a routine roadside blood test. This showed a reading of 22 mcg/L for cocaine, which exceeded the legal limit of 10mg.
"She also showed traces of Benzoylecgonine in her blood amounting to 557 mcg/L. Benzoylecgonine is a substance that is formed when an individual ingests cocaine.”
For her previous crimes, Walker had been banned from driving for 14 months. She was caught at the wheel of a Vauxhall Corsa car in Didsbury in 2019 whilst one and a half times the alcohol limit.
Simon Morton, representing Walker said: "Ms Walker is horrified by the realisation that she will be losing her licence again and she is genuinely remorseful for her actions. She had no intention of driving on that day and it did not cross her mind that drugs would still be in her system.
"With regards to the insurance, she genuinely believed that the Spanish insurance policy that her friend had on the car would cover her driving. She was not to know that the type of policy that she was driving under would not cover her whilst driving in the UK.
"She is a single mother to two children and works part-time as a cleaner, earning roughly £240 per week."
Walker admitted drug driving and was banned from the roads for three years. Sentencing, chairman of the magistrates, Paul Dunn said: "You do appear to be truly remorseful and we do understand your reasons for getting behind the wheel.
"Of course, your daughter will always come first. However, taking control of a vehicle when under the influence is never acceptable.
"Even if the drugs in question were ingested a few days prior. We hope that this has given you another wake-up call."
Alongside her driving ban, Walker was also fined £120 and ordered to pay £129 in costs and a victim surcharge.
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