A mother of four who breached Covid-19 isolation rules by going to the Co-op after drink-driving has been spared jail.

Lisa Marie Langley admitted both offences and was sentenced to three months in custody, suspended for 18 months.

Magistrates also banned the 41-year-old from driving for three years and made her the subject of an 18-month suspended sentence supervision order.

Chair of the magistrates said that they had taken into account Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and its application for Langley and her children when suspending the sentence.

Prosecuting advocate Rachael Braidwood told the court that Langley has returned to the island on January 27 after visiting relatives in Liverpool.

She was given a notice to isolate for 21 days and was tested on January 31 and February 4 with both tests producing a negative result.

This meant that she was subsequently allowed out for one hour per day, wearing a mask but not allowed to enter shops.

However, on February 7 at 6.50pm she was seen driving a Suzuki Swift on Parliament Street in Ramsey.

She then entered the Co-op without a mask.

Police attended Langley’s home in Bowring Road, Ramsey, but she was not there and her car was not outside.

A search could not locate her but at 11.15pm police returned to her house and found her back.

She was said to be slurring her words and admitted she had been drinking cider earlier.

At police headquarters she failed a breathalyser test with a reading of 72. The legal limit is 35.

When interviewed Langley claimed she had done nothing wrong saying she went out at night to exercise as fewer people were around.

She also claimed she had called 111 on February 6 and been told she was OK to go into shops after two negative tests.

Langley then admitted she had been out walking on the beach as she felt she was ’cracking up’.

She was asked about alcohol found in her car and said she had also been to Shoprite on February 6 to buy it, but again claimed she had been told it was ok to enter shops.

Langley opted to represent herself in court and a probation report said that she had issues with alcohol.

She told probation that she intended to self-refer to Motiv8.

The report said that Langley had moved to the island from Liverpool in 2015 and had been working as a carer for the elderly until three weeks ago.

Magistrates’ chair Anita Ardern said that they had considered that Langley was the sole carer for her children when deciding to suspend custody. She must also retake her driving test at the end of the ban and attend a drink-driving rehabilitation course.