Woman drove at three times drink driving limit

Saturday 11 June 2022

A woman has been disqualified from driving for three years after pleading guilty to driving at three times the legal limit.

Dorothy Elsadany provided a reading of 105 micrograms per 100ml of breath after a concerned member of the public called the Joint Emergency Services Control Centre to report someone “driving erratically”.

Police officers responded to the call and located Elsadany stopped in traffic at the Admiral Park traffic lights. An officer made eye contact with Elsadany and gestured for her to pull over, but reported her as seeming “confused with a lack of awareness of what was going on around her”. 

Elsadany pulled forward and then reversed into the vehicle behind her at low speed. 

Pictured: A member of the public reported Esladany's vehicle to the Joint Emergency Services Control Centre. 

Officers interviewed Elsadany at the roadside and reported that they could “smell intoxicants on her breath”. Elsadany failed a road side breath test and was given another test at the police station.

Officers reported that Elsadany made repeated comments that she “needed help” and had had an “alcohol consumption problem” as a result of the covid pandemic. 

Advocate Oliver Fattorini, acting for Elsadany, said that since the incident she has sought mental help. 

“During the covid pandemic my client became fixated about her young daughter becoming ill, which she did. Her father also died from covid in another country and my client was unable to visit him before his death or attend the funeral due to travel restrictions,” he said. 

Pictured: Elsadany was located on Les Banques at the Admiral Park traffic lights. 

Advocate Fattorini further added that Elsadany’s hotel work had been affected by the pandemic and had impacted on her wellbeing. 

“My client is now being medicated for depression and anxiety and it is reasonable to conclude that she was suffering from depression at the time of the incident,” he said. 

“This in no way excuses her behaviour, which she has not disputed and has taken full responsibility for, but it acts as an explanation for the events.”

Advocate Fattorini said that Elsadany was “embarrassed, remorseful and wishes to apologise to the court and the police”. 

Pictured: Elsadany's breath test reading was 105mcg. The legal limit is 35mcg. 

Judge McKerrell gave Elsadany credit for entering a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity and noted she was of previous good character. 

“Your [breath test] reading came perilously close to meeting the custody threshold. There are risks in driving after consuming any alcohol, but at this level there was a very serious and significant danger of causing harm to yourself and to others,” he said. 

“You are very fortunate that this was not more serious as the situation clearly could have been much worse.” 

Judge McKerrell imposed a three-year driving ban and ordered Elsadany to complete 90 hours of community service.