A LEARNER driver who was caught drink-driving a sports utility vehicle whilst in breach of a suspended jail sentence has been sent to prison.
Young mum Megan Pantry, 21, from Pontypool, was stopped by police during the early hours of the morning at the wheel of a Nissan Juke.
Prosecutor John Warren said when officers initially spoke to her, the SUV started rolling backwards because she hadn’t pulled up the handbrake.
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Cardiff Crown Court heard Pantry was in breach of a suspended sentence for “nasty” assault occasioning actual bodily harm and theft offences she committed in Newport last year.
The defendant pleaded guilty to having 57 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath on the A472 at Pontypool’s Clarence Street at 1.40am on October 16.
The legal drink-drive limit is 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath.
The mother-of-one also admitted driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.
Mr Warren said Pantry, of George Street, Pontnewynydd, only has a provisional licence and was not displaying ‘L’ plates on the vehicle.
He told the court she has 10 previous convictions for 29 offences the most relevant being her convictions for the ABH and theft from 2018 for which she received a jail sentence of 13 months, suspended for two years.
Hashim Salmman, mitigating, said his client knew she was going to receive a jail term and asked the court to keep its length as short as possible.
He added: “She has no previous similar convictions. The defendant has a split personality disorder and she has been medically declared unfit to work.”
Mr Salmman said the defendant had been a drug addict who was hooked on amphetamine and Valium and “was essentially an alcoholic for several years”.
Judge Nicola Jones told Pantry she had no option but to activate the suspended sentence.
She said: “You have been given chance after chance. I have no alternative but to send you into immediate custody.
“You have come to the end of road. It gives me no pleasure to send you to prison.
“Realistically, you’ve got to go in.”
Judge Jones jailed Pantry for eight months and banned her from driving for 16 months.
She will also have to pay a £149 victim surcharge upon her release from custody.
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