Woman who hired e-scooter while drunk on hen do gets driving ban

27 April 2022, 16:17

A drunk woman who hired an e-scooter to get home from a hen do after her taxi didn't turn up has been slapped with a driving ban.

Paige Burnley, 26, was twice the legal alcohol limit when she was stopped by police in Cheltenham on April 9 after being spotted weaving in and out of traffic.

Burnley, of North Hykeham, Lincolnshire, was seen riding the Zwings e-scooter erratically in the bus lane in Royal Well Place shortly before 11pm, Cheltenham Magistrates' Court heard.

Prosecutor May Li explained that Burnley, who was wearing bright coloured clothing, was spotted by police on patrol in the town.

An officer who stopped Burnley noticed her eyes were "glazed and red" and her speech slurred.

She failed a roadside breath test and in custody provided a reading of 75 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

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Chris Hogg, defending Burnley, said she had been on a hen do in the city and the taxis they had booked home had not arrived.

"My client thought, incorrectly, that they could ride the e-scooters instead and legitimately hired one of them.

"They did not see anything warning them of the legal requirements and she rode the electric scooter thinking she wasn't committing any offence," he said.

"She accepts that ignorance of the law is no defence."

Burnley pleaded guilty to driving a Zwings E-Scooter while over the legal limit on April 9 this year.

District Judge Nicholas Wattam said Burnley's penalty would be less severe as she had admitted her offence straight away.

"I accept you were under a false impression that you were able to use an e-scooter on the road having drunk alcohol that had taken you over the drink-drive limit," he said.

"This was a dangerous activity to be doing for which there has to be a penalty."

Burnley was banned from driving for 18 months, slapped with a £500 fine, and ordered to pay court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £50.

Cheltenham is one of a number of cities where e-scooters are being offered for hire.

They can be legally used on roads and pathways in a Government scheme to see if they are a safe and viable form of transport.

However, they are considered to be motorised vehicles and are therefore subject to drink driving laws.