A mother-of-five who was arrested after crashing a 14.5 tonne lorry in Belfast while drunk has been jailed for 27 months and banned from driving for three years.
Jailing Susan McKay (41) at Belfast Crown Court, Judge Patrick Lynch told her she was fortunate indeed that no-one was killed or injured during the incident in November 2010, warning her had that happened, she would have faced a 10-year term.
As it was, said the judge, 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.
The court heard that during the incident on November 14th, McKay drove at speeds up to 100km/h in a built-up 50km/h zone, crashed into six cars, twice drove on the wrong side of the road, ran through a red light, caused pedestrians to scatter for their lives and ended up crashing into a telegraph pole.
McKay was pulled from the cab of the lorry by members of the public.
She later pleaded guilty to drink driving and dangerous driving between her home in Sugarfield Street and the Albertbridge Road.
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. He noted she had been assessed as a high likelihood of reoffending as there is a “limited acceptance of responsibility” and an “entrenched attitude” to her alcoholism.
Judge Lynch ordered McKay to spend nine months in custody to be followed by 18 months on supervised licence parole.