A drunk woman driver had a dog in her lap when gardaí stopped her at the wheel, a court heard yesterday.
Gardaí told Judge Paul Kelly that Anne Glackin (50) was driving erratically and at one stage clipped a hedge.
Glenties District Court heard that while she was driving a terrier dog was leaping between seats and at one stage jumped from the back seat into her lap in the driver’s seat.
Garda Dylan Conry said: “She had no seat belt. She was smoking and the dog was sitting on her lap.”
He added that Glackin’s eyes were glassy, she was slumped in the driver’s seat and there was a smell of intoxicating liquor from her when she stopped after the blue flashing light was activated on the Garda car shortly before 6.20pm on June 19th at Narin, Portnoo.
Breath tests taken at Glenties Garda station showed Glackin, from Ballykilduff, Portnoo, was driving with more than twice the permitted alcohol limit.
Garda Conry told the court he drove Glackin home and he returned her keys so she could release the dog from her car.
The judge rejected Glackin’s not-guilty plea. He maintained she was properly held in custody and he ruled a defective charge sheet was properly replaced with a later summons. She was fined €300 and banned from driving for three years.