Driving ban for trainee teacher (From The Advertiser Series)

Driving ban for Darlington trainee teacher

12:16pm Friday 11th January 2013 in News

A TRAINEE teacher has been banned from the roads for 18 months after driving over the limit.

Katherine Barker, of Stanhope Road North, Darlington, admitted driving while above the drink-drive limit at a hearing at Darlington Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (January 10) after she was found to have 80 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.

The 23-year-old, who is training to become a primary school teacher, was initially stopped on Victoria Embankment, in Darlington, as her nearside light wasn’t working properly.

In mitigation, Graham Silvester said she had been out after work for a colleague’s leaving celebrations.

“During the course of the evening between 7pm and 12am she had a couple of glasses of wine," he said.

“She hadn’t eaten anything for approaching 14 hours.”

Magistrates banned her from driving for 18 months and ordered her to pay a £125 fine with £85 and £20 victim surcharge.