'Wake-up call' for Army veteran caught three times over the drink-drive limit

An off-duty police officer saw Louise Short ‘driving all over the road’ and her Mini Cooper was stopped in Ollerton at 3pm on March 25, said prosecutor Neil Hollett.

A test revealed she had 107 mcgs of alcohol in 100 mls of breath, when the legal limit is 35 mcgs.

Arjun Madahar, mitigating, said: "She is genuinely sorry for her actions on this occasion. She knows that it could have caused serious harm."

He said Short, who has no previous convictions, had struggled with alcohol after serving in the Army from the age of 17, with tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"She was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and like many veterans she has struggled to access help," Mr Madahar said.

"On this occasion she has tried to cope with alcohol. She is honest. She was on the way to meet a new employer. To cope with her nerves she had some drinks.

"It has served as a wake-up call. Every evening at 7pm she has a meeting with the Smart Recovery alcohol group.

"She has been sober since this took place.”

Short, 35, of Retford Road, Boughton, admitted drink driving when she appeared at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court, on Thursday.

She was banned for 25 months, but she was offered a drink driver's rehabilitation course which will cut the disqualification by 190 days if completed by September 2022.

She was fined £550, with £85 court costs and a £55 victim surcharge.

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