Abbey Road Kirkstall: School teacher 'embarrassed' after being caught drink driving in Leeds

Holly Carr, 30, has also been banned from driving for 15 months after she was pulled over by cops earlier this year.

She pleaded guilty to a charge of driving a motor vehicle when her alcohol level was above the legal limit and was sentenced at Leeds Magistrates Court yesterday (May 14).

The court heard that she had been drinking with a friend in the afternoon, before the pair decided to head home early due to Carr feeling unwell.

It was explained that she slept for a while but, having realised she had left her phone in a taxi, decided to drive to Leeds Station to collect it.

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Police spotted her behind the wheel of a Mini Cooper on Abbey Road, Kirkstall, in the early hours of April 28. They stopped her after noticing a wing mirror folded in “as though the driver had collided with something”, the court heard.

Officers said her speech was slurred and that there was a “strong smell of intoxicants”. A breath sample taken at the side of the road showed she had exceeded the legal alcohol limit.

Defending, Laurence Dilworth said: “She didn’t think she was over the limit because it had been well over six hours since she had been drinking. She accepts that she shouldn’t have got behind the wheel.”

He added: “She is embarrassed about the situation and it has given her cause to reflect. She is already going through a procedure with HR and it remains to be seen whether she will continue in employment with her current school.”

The court heard that Carr has no previous convictions. She has been described as a “pillar of the community”, Mr Dilworth said.

Carr, of Elton Road, Stockton-on-Tees, was handed a fine of £1,135 and disqualified from driving for 15 months, although she will receive a reduction on the ban if she completes a rehabilitation course.