Amanda Lloyd blamed her behaviour on ‘complacency’
An admin worker crashed her Volvo into another car while attempting a three-point turn in a car park then refused a breath test. Amanda Lloyd later admitted she had been drinking and put her actions down to “complacency” having believed she had beaten her alcohol addiction.
The 47-year-old, from Brackla in Bridgend, had struggled with alcohol misuse after being made redundant from a job at Bridgend College. She was admitted to hospital with cirrhosis – a condition linked to severe liver damage – and “was warned by doctors she would likely not leave the hospital”, a probation officer told Cardiff Magistrates’ Court.
The officer said Lloyd then “mostly recovered” and had years of abstinence until October 25 when she drove without due care at Coytrahen Close, Brackla Industrial Estate.
“She had consumed alcohol prior to the offences but she was unaware it would remain in her system for such a significant period due to her cirrhosis,” the officer added.
“While doing a three-point turn in a car park she hit another vehicle. When police arrived she gave a positive reading for alcohol at the scene but she failed to blow at the station after her arrest.”
Lloyd, of The Spinney in Brackla, pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen and driving without due care or attention. She works part-time as an admin assistant and has no previous convictions.
The defendant, who lives in a mortgaged house with her husband and 19-year-old son, “does not feel she is dependent on alcohol” and put her relapse “purely down to complacency”, said the officer.
Lloyd told the probation service she had been sober since the offences and had no intention of driving ever again even after the completion of her inevitable driving ban.
“Mentally she has been down due to the court proceedings and she is medicated for anxiety and depression,” said the officer. “She still suffers with cirrhosis of the liver and in her interview she was extremely anxious.
“She accepted poor decision-making at the time. I would suggest she is assessed as posing a medium risk of harm in the future.”
The court heard Lloyd earned £833 a month from her part-time admin job and also got £500 a month in employment and support allowance (ESA) although that benefit is “currently suspended under investigation in conjunction with her current working hours”.
Lloyd’s solicitor Rhodri Chudleigh said: “She needs some help but she is on the right track. I would ask the court to consider the fact she is 47 with no previous convictions.
“She has shown cooperation and significant remorse. This has had a significant impact on her and she has no intention of driving again.”
The magistrates found the offences involved high harm and high culpability because Lloyd had crashed into another car. But they also took into account her remorse, employment, stable family life, and long-term medical issues.
They imposed a 32-month driving ban and 12-month community order with 10 days of rehabilitation activity, an alcohol monitoring requirement, a £114 victim services surcharge, and £85 in prosecution costs.
The court usher handed a tissue to an emotional Lloyd who thanked the magistrates as she left the dock and exited the courtroom.
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