Karen Foley (48), of Charlesland Court, Greystones outside Bray Courthouse.
A Wicklow woman, who the court heard has a long-standing alcohol addiction, has been disqualified from driving for three years.
Karen Foley (48), of Charlesland Court, Greystones, appeared for sentencing at Bray District Court after pleading guilty to one count of driving a vehicle while exceeding the alcohol limit.
Ms Foley faced a further charge of careless driving, however, this was struck out following an agreement between the defence solicitor, Michael O’Connor, and the prosecution.
The court was told that at approximately 2:30pm on September 27, 2024, Ms Foley’s Opel Corsa collided with a flower pot outside SuperValu on Church Road in Greystones. Ms Foley supplied a sample, which returned a reading of 188 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood
The legal limit for fully licenced drivers in Category B is 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of blood.
Judge David Kennedy noted that such a reading carries a mandatory penalty of a three-year driving disqualification.
Mr O’Connor informed the court that his client suffers from a severe alcohol addiction, which she has attempted to address in recent months. He said she had previously attended rehabilitation and abstained from alcohol but had recently “fallen off the wagon”.
The court was told that Ms Foley is currently in receipt of social welfare payments and has not driven since the incident.
Judge Kennedy stated that had Ms Foley pleaded not guilty, she would have been facing a custodial sentence due to the exceptionally high alcohol reading.
The judge disqualified Ms Foley from driving for a period of three years and imposed a three-month prison sentence, which was suspended in full for one year.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme