Fire crew saw drug driving nurse doing 20mph on M6 near Carlisle

But qualified nurse Avril Catherine Brown, 54, who has yet to hear if her career will be impacted by the conviction, turned to using the Class A drug while in the midst of a serious medical crisis, magistrates heard. She admitted drug driving. At Carlisle’s Rickergate court, prosecutor George Shelley described how a fire crew became aware of the defendant’s VW Tiguan on July 6 because of the unusually low speed of the defendant’s driving.

“They were concerned,” said the prosecutor, outlining how the driver of the fire engine saw the car swerving as it travelled south. As a result, the fire crew followed the car along the motorway and saw it leave at Junction 44 before joining the A689. At this point, a police patrol took over following the defendant’s car as she drove towards Brampton.

After police had signalled for the car to stop, Brown turned off the road and came to a halt. It was immediately apparent that she was under the influence of a substance of some kind. She was so unwell that police took her to hospital.

A test later confirmed that Brown, of Longbarns Road, Dumfries, had 635mcg of benzoylecgonine in her blood. The legal limit is 50mcg. Marion Weir, defending, said the defendant had been a person of exemplary good character and had expressed genuine remorse. “In July of last year, she was gravely ill,” said the barrister.

After being taken to hospital, Brown was diagnosed with viral encephalitis and spent two weeks in hospital. Six months before the offending, Brown had suffered a fractured spine in a road traffic accident. “So, 2023 has been a somewhat traumatic year for her,” said Miss Weir.

Brown still holds her nursing registration, but the conviction may well impact on her career. The barrister added: “She is grateful that no serious injury was caused to her or any other road user on that occasion. She has not driven since.”

Not currently working, the defendant now had limited finances. Noting that their options are limited by the defendant living north of the border, magistrates imposed a GBP200 fine, with an GBP80 surcharge and GBP85 costs. They banned the defendant for 18 months.

Magistrates said their sentence had taken into account the defendant’s previous good character.