A DRINK-driving mother of nine drove her car at Gardaí after St Patrick’s Night booze bender, a court has heard.
Ciara McLaughlin, originally from Inishowen and now living at Burnside Apartments, Letterkenny pleaded guilty to drink driving when she appeared at Letterkenny District Court.
Inspector David Kelly told Judge Paul Kelly that 40-year-old McLaughlin was arrested hiding in a hedge after the incident on March 18 last year.
The inspector said a Garda patrol car has spotted an orange Opel Corsa in Glencar Park with a side window smashed.
As the Garda car approached, the lights in the Corsa came on and the vehicle drove straight at the officers.
“Officers were forced to mount the footpath to avoid a collision and noticed there were female occupants of the Corsa as it passed,” said the inspector.
The car was later found abandoned close by with the hazard lights.
Ms McLaughlin was arrested and a second woman also found hiding in bushes.
She admitted driving the car and a reading of 72 micro grammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath was recorded later at Letterkenny Garda Station.
The inspector said McLaughlin had admitted driving the car and had been drinking heavily beforehand.
The court heard McLaughlin had previous convictions for drugs offences in Carndonagh in 2004 and Buncrana in 2009.
Defence solicitor Gerard Doyle said the mother of nine was very sorry for her actions and was grateful that she had not also been charged with dangerous driving.
He said his client suffered from “chronic addictions” and was in a distressed state at the time of the incident as “a claw hammer was thrown at her and smashed the window of the car” earlier in the night.
Judge Kelly disqualified McLaughlin from driving for three years and fined a total of €350.