A mother was taken to court after being found heavily intoxicated on cocaine while driving her children to school, prompting concerned parents to intervene.
Hayley Berry, 36, suddenly stopped her vehicle in the middle of a road in Broadstairs, Kent, in November last year. Witnesses described her as visibly impaired, leading one parent to seize her car keys while others escorted her children safely to school before calling the police.
Berry was later arrested and charged with drug driving and driving while unfit through drugs. A blood test revealed she had 83 micrograms of benzoylecgonine per litre in her system, exceeding the legal limit of 50 micrograms per litre. The test also detected traces of GHB, though within the legal threshold.
During a hearing at Margate Magistrates’ Court on March 7, Berry pleaded guilty. Prosecutor Lucie Fish detailed how bystanders had to physically intervene to prevent a potential accident.
Berry’s defence lawyer, Nigel Numas, presented a character reference from her cocaine sponsor, who stated she was making efforts to overcome addiction. The court also heard that Berry unknowingly ingested GHB, believing it to be a legal high given to her by a man she was seeing.
The magistrate sentenced Berry to eight weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, calling it “one of the worst examples of drug driving” he had encountered. She was also banned from driving for 30 months, ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work, and required to pay a £154 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs.
