A MOTHER of five who crashed a 14.5 tonne lorry while drunk was jailed for nine months yesterday and banned from driving for three years.
Jailing Susan McKay (41), at Belfast Crown Court, Judge Patrick Lynch QC told her she was fortunate no one was killed or injured in the incident in November 2010.
Had that happened McKay, of Sugarfield Street, Belfast, would have faced a 10-year term, the judge said. As it was, the incident represented “about as bad a piece of dangerous driving as I have ever seen”, especially as throughout it all, McKay was more than twice over the legal drink-drive limit, said Judge Lynch.
The court heard McKay drove at speeds of up to 96km/h (60mph) in a built-up 30mph zone, crashed into six cars, twice drove on the wrong side of the road, broke a red light, caused pedestrians to scatter and ended up crashing into a telegraph pole.
McKay, who said she could barely remember what happened, was pulled from the cab of the lorry by members of the public and later pleaded guilty to drink-driving and dangerous driving on consecutive roads between her home on Sugarfield Street and the Albertbridge Road.
Witnesses told police that at one stage they saw steam from the lorry’s engine and despite stalling a number of times, McKay restarted the engine and ploughed on, rear-ending one car and was seen “swerving all over the place”.
Defence lawyer Richard McConkey had urged the judge not to jail McKay as to do so would cause hardship to her husband and five children.
However, Judge Lynch said he was less than impressed with the attitude McKay had adopted to the offences. Probation assessed her as a high likelihood of reoffending as there is a “limited acceptance of responsibility” and an “entrenched attitude” to her alcoholism and drinking.
The judge said that while he had “no doubt” a jail term would have consequences for her family, “The court has to balance that against the offences.”
Handing down the 27-month term and three-year ban, he ordered McKay to spend nine months in custody followed by 18 months on supervised parole.