Drink-drive woman smashed into minicab while twice the limit - then got out and hurled racist abuse at the cabbie
A drunk woman smashed into a minicab and then racially abused its driver.
Lisa Delaney, 38, was driving her Ford Focus last May when she collided with a black BMW minicab, Manchester magistrates court heard.
At first, Delaney was apologetic, accepting blame for the crash in a Manchester street and reassuring the minicab driver she was insured.
But her ‘attitude changed’ - and, the court heard, she spat racial abuse at the Asian driver, who smelt alcohol on her breath.
Initially, the cabbie took Delaney’s keys from the ignition in fear of her drink driving again, but she retrieved them to ‘get her details’ - and drove off.
The police were called and Delaney, of Fairfield Road, Droylsden, was stopped, breathalysed and found to be twice the limit.
Appearing before magistrates at an earlier hearing, she admitted drink driving but denied the racially aggravated public order offence.
But she was then late for a trial, at which the driver and his passenger gave evidence, and Delaney was found guilty in her absence - as she arrived at court too late to take the stand.
In a statement, the minicab driver said he had lost earnings that night due to the ordeal.
He said: “She was out of order calling me names and pushing me about.”
Defending, David O’Reilly said Delaney would appeal against the guilty conviction for the racially aggravated public order offence.
He added: “She did make contact on the day of the hearing and my colleague did communicate that with the court.
“She was coming through the city centre and someone collapsed in front of her and she waited for the ambulance to arrive. But your colleagues got fed up of waiting and heard the trial with Miss Delaney arriving late after it had concluded.”
He said his client, who had been previously unemployed, had now found work as an administrative assistant and also volunteers at a homeless shelter.
Magistrates sentenced Delaney to a 12-month community order with 120 hours’ unpaid work.
She was banned from driving for 18 months and must pay £220 compensation and £200 costs.
source: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... i-11359446
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