A 29-year-old Douglas woman has been sentenced to 100 hours’ community service for drink-driving.

Claire Lucy Radcliffe, of Queen’s Promenade, was also banned from driving for five years with an order to retake her test at the end of the ban and attend a drink-drive rehabilitation course.

Prosecutor Barry Swain told the court how, on November 18 at 3.45am, Radcliffe was out with her then partner in his Ford Focus.

He stopped the car outside near the Rovers Return in Douglas and went to the pub.

While he was there, Radcliffe got into the driver’s seat. When her boyfriend returned she was said to have driven the car a short distance and hit the front of the Douglas Town Management building.

She failed a subsequent breathalyser test with a reading of 102 - the legal limit is 35.

Radcliffe did not speak throughout a police interview. The court heard that she did not hold a driving licence and was not insured.

Defending her in court, advocate Ian Kermode entered a basis of plea for his client saying that she had only driven a short distance.

’It was just a few metres,’ said the advocate. ’She accepts she had been drinking prior to this.

’Her attitude is one of remorse, she feels deeply ashamed for what has happened. She would describe it as a momentary lapse of judgement.

’She has been involved in work with a couple of local charities.’

Mr Kermode went on to ask for credit to be given for Radcliffe’s early guilty plea and the fact that she had no previous convictions.

She was sentenced to 100 hours’ community service each offence of drink-driving, having no insurance and no driving licence, all to run concurrently.

She was also ordered to pay £125 prosecution costs.