Ex-public schoolgirl, 29, who was caught drink-driving is fined £150

Ex-public schoolgirl, 29, who was caught drink-driving after downing two glasses of wine is fined £150 as she tearfully shamed herself in court as ‘irresponsible and a complete idiot’

• Cassandra Austin-Kaye, 29, is thought to have been giving a friend a lift home 
• She was stopped after officers spotted her driving erratically in Cheshire
• At Chester magistrates court, Austin-Kaye admitted driving with excess alcohol
• Banned from roads for 18 months, she could complete a course and reduce this

A former public schoolgirl who was caught driving while almost twice the alcohol limit has been fined £150 after she tearfully called herself an ‘irresponsible and complete idiot’ in court.

Cassandra Austin-Kaye, 29, is thought to have been giving a friend a lift home when she was stopped behind the wheel of her VW Polo after officers spotted her driving erratically near the kerb.

A roadside breath test showed she had 63 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35 mg. She admitted drinking two glasses of wine in the run-up to the incident.

At Chester magistrates court, Austin-Kaye – whose late father Tony was a successful jeweller in the city – admitted driving with excess alcohol and was banned from the roads for 18 months.

The arrest took place last month after Austin-Kaye – who, according to her Facebook page, attended the £37,515 per year Moreton Hall school in Oswestry, Shropshire – had a visit from a friend at her £1.1m family home in the Cheshire village of Saighton.

At Chester magistrates court, Cassandra Austin-Kaye (pictured outside court) admitted driving with excess alcohol and was banned from the roads for 18 months

Cassandra Austin-Kaye (pictured), 29, is thought to have been giving a friend a lift home when she was stopped behind the wheel of her VW Polo after officers spotted her driving erratically near the kerb

The arrest took place last month after Austin-Kaye (pictured) – who, according to her Facebook page, attended the £37,515 per year Moreton Hall school in Oswestry, Shropshire – had a visit from a friend at her £1.1m family home in the Cheshire village of Saighton

Alan Currums, prosecuting, said: ‘It was 2am on Saturday, September 17. A police officer was on mobile patrol travelling along Wrexham Road heading towards the A55 when his attention was drawn to a vehicle ahead of him which was swerving in its lane.

‘At one point it came very near to the kerb kicking up dust and stones. The vehicle was stopped and the driver was spoken to.

‘The defendant was the driver and there was also a female in the passenger seat. The officer believed that the driver was intoxicated. She stated that she had recently had two glasses of wine.

‘She gave a positive sample of breath at the roadside. She was arrested and taken to the custody suite where she fully cooperated with the breath test procedure. The defendant has no previous convictions recorded against her.’

The former public schoolgirl Austin-Kaye (pictured) who was caught driving while almost twice the alcohol limit has been fined £150 after she tearfully called herself an ‘irresponsible and complete idiot’ in court

The prosecutor said that due to the level of alcohol in her breath, the sentencing guidelines say she should be banned from driving for between 17 and 22 months.

The legal advisor said she would be given credit for pleading guilty and said: ‘You have not prevaricated and have not wasted the court’s time. That’s what you get credit for today. You will also be offered the drink drive awareness course to reduce your driving disqualification.’

Representing herself, Austin-Kaye, said she does not usually drink but a friend had been visiting her.

‘I know what I did was totally irresponsible,’ she said. ‘I was just acting like a complete idiot. I won’t do that again. I am very sorry.’

She wiped tears from her eyes as magistrates also ordered her to pay costs and a victim surcharge of £180.

‘We have listened to what’s been said and have taken into account your prompt guilty plea,’ Chairman Andrew Merrill said. ‘Given the level of reading you will be disqualified for 18 months, but we will offer you the opportunity to go on the drink drive awareness course to reduce that ban by a quarter.’

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