A teacher who crashed her Land Rover into railings outside a primary school while more than three times the legal alcohol limit has been banned from driving.
Leoni King, 37, was celebrating a birthday with friends when she drove her SUV, later smashing into railings outside Loose Primary School in Maidstone, Kent. The incident occurred after she became distracted by a phone call from her husband. King then left the scene and went home, later reporting the crash to police.
Officers arrived at her home, breathalyzed her, and she failed the test. She was taken to the hospital before being arrested and charged with drink-driving.
King, who teaches at Cornwallis Academy in Linton, Maidstone, pleaded guilty to the offense before magistrates. The prosecution stated the incident happened on November 22 of the previous year.
During testing, her urine sample showed 156 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of urine, exceeding the legal limit of 107. A roadside breath test at her home registered 123 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath, more than three times the legal limit of 35.
King's defense attorney explained that her client had been dealing with shame and trauma since the incident. She lives with her husband and two children and has a monthly income of £3,000. The defense also noted King has mental health issues, including PTSD and panic attacks, and was a victim of domestic violence from an ex-partner.
According to the defense, King had consumed several glasses of prosecco at a birthday celebration and intended to leave her car at the pub, having her husband collect it. However, she decided to move the car after friends of her ex-partner arrived at the pub, triggering a panic. While attempting to move the vehicle, she received a phone call from her husband, which caused her to crash into the railings.
Magistrates heard that police were already at the crash scene when King's husband spoke to them and stated he was not driving at the time of the collision.
King was banned from driving for 14 months and fined £700. She was also ordered to pay a £280 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs, with payments to be made at a rate of £50 per month.
A spokesperson for Loose Primary School confirmed they were aware of the court proceedings and that appropriate actions have been taken according to school policies. They declined to comment further on the individual matter.