An executive at an alcoholism charity was caught drink driving and hiding in a bush from police.
Eliza Loftus, 26, was almost three times over the legal limit when she crashed her car into a tree and fled into shrubbery in Middlewich, Cheshire.
She is the marketing director and chief fundraiser at Be Well Stay Well, which offers counselling to alcohol and drug addicts in nearby Nantwich.
Ms Loftus was banned from driving for 40 months last Thursday when she pleaded guilty to drink driving at Crewe Magistrates’ Court.
The court heard that Ms Loftus was driving home from a night out at a pub on April 7 when her white Ford Ka careered into a tree shortly after midnight.
Tara Thomas, prosecuting, told the court that when police arrived at the scene, a member of the public told them Ms Loftus was hiding in a bush.
“The officer approached the bush, approximately 20 metres away from the crash, and shouted ‘police, come out’,” Ms Thomas said.
“A female, who is the defendant before the court, emerged and said, ‘I am sorry’.”
Ms Loftus, who was said to have been “unsteady on her feet”, was found to have 215mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, making her nearly three times the legal limit of 80mg.
Patrick Kelly, defending, told the court that the defendant had “lost control” when going around a bend after having an argument with friends at the pub.
‘Panic and nothing else’
“It is right that she was hiding behind a bush but that was due to her panic and nothing else,” he said.
“When police called her she immediately came out.”
Mr Kelly added that Ms Loftus had turned to her own charity for help in response to the crash and that it was “never going to be repeated”.
“She also works with charity Be Well Stay Well, supporting people with addictive personalities or who have fallen into addiction,” he told the court.
“She has now turned to them herself and has received assistance from them.”
The court heard that Ms Loftus had two previous convictions for driving under the influence. She was convicted of drink driving in April 2022 and driving under the influence of cannabis the following month.
The court banned Ms Loftus from driving for 40 months and ordered her to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.
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