A 59-year-old woman has been fined £650 for being drunk in charge of a vehicle.

Vanessa Marie Edwards admitted the offence and also had her licence endorsed with 10 penalty points by magistrates.

Edwards, who lives at Derby Square, Douglas, initially pleaded not guilty to the charge, with a pre-trial due on March 1, but on Thursday (February 17), she changed her plea to guilty.

Prosecuting advocate Barry Swain told the court that police went to Coronation Terrace at Strang on December 2 after receiving information about a potential drink-driver.

When officers arrived they found Edwards’ Toyota Yaris parked there but she was not present.

Police remained in the area and then saw Edwards in the car with the ignition turned on.

She was spoken to and said to be smelling of alcohol and unsteady on her feet.

At police headquarters she took a breathalyser test which produced a reading of 65. The legal limit is 35.

When interviewed, Edwards handed in a prepared statement saying that she had been a volunteer at the community gardens at Coronation Terrace since February 2020.

She said she had been working there on the day in question from 8.30am.

At 4pm she said she had started to get cold and had gone to her car to eat a sandwich and check her phone.

Edwards said she was not intending to drive and was going to either stay with a friend nearby, or if they were not in, get the bus home.

Defence advocate Stephen Wood handed in letters of reference for his client.

He said: ’Dare I say, there are occasions when the court may be dealing with individuals who don’t give a monkeys. My client feels very strongly about being in court.

’To be honest she was trembling in fear.’

Mr Wood referred to a report which said that Edwards had mental health issues.

The advocate said that he wanted to compliment the police as they had hidden behind a corner until Edwards had got into her car.

’It was excellent policing, but one might have thought it might have been possible to divert the person from committing the offence at all,’ said Mr Wood.

The advocate said that his client had taken a pragmatic approach when entering her guilty plea.

He continued: ’She accepts she would have been unable to discharge the burden that there was no possibility of her driving.

’She is very embarrassed to be finding herself before the court.’

Mr Swain said that the police report said that the officer had been ’waiting’ rather than ’hiding’.

Magistrates also ordered Edwards to pay £125 prosecution costs.

She will pay all amounts at a rate of £10 per week, deducted from benefits.