Council worker banned from road following hit-and-run

Ally McGilvray • Published 7 Feb 2012 09:30 2 Comments

A COUNCIL worker who admitted failing to stop and report an accident after her car collided with another vehicle outside the local authority's headquarters in the Borders has been banned from the road after later being caught drink driving, a court heard this week.

Forty-five-year-old Denise Carmichael, of Whitefield Court, Newtown St Boswells, admitted the hit-and-run during a previous hearing of the Justice of the Peace Court in Selkirk. And sentence was deferred for a personal appearance until Thursday.

She was seen reversing into another car in the rear car park of the council headquarters in Newtown St Boswells by witnesses who reported hearing "a loud bang" on October 28 around 4.45pm.

The court heard the car she hit - a Ford Ranger - suffered a large dent in the boot and the damage was estimated at £511.

Carmichael's solicitor, Matt Patrick, blamed "simple carelessness" for the crash, which left glass strewn across the road.

However, in a plea for leniency, he pointed out she co-operated fully as soon as police became involved and had already been forced to pay the £350 insurance excess on her car.

Mr Patrick said: "It was simple carelessness. She tells me the music in her car was playing quite loud."

The court heard Carmichael, who is listed as a paths to health co-ordinator on the Scottish Borders Council website, was later arrested for drink driving and banned from the road for four months after being sentenced at the Sheriff Court last month.

Justice of the Peace Margaret McVitie said the incident was "a sorry tale". She fined Carmichael £130 and added five penalty points to her licence.

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This article appeared in Border Telegraph 07 Feb 12

Have your say. Post a comment on this article.

• 

  Scotreiver
  Unregistered User
  Feb 21, 19:11
  Report comment

  This person is in a working capacity of a health co-ordinator. Yet here she is being caught drink driving! What message does this send out!
  
  Recommend?   Yes 1     No 1

• 

  Reiver
  Unregistered User
  Feb 22, 09:26
  Report comment

  Mmmmm.........Don't do as I do, do as I say !!!!!
  
  Doesn't exactly tick the box as a responsible person, does she ?
  
  Recommend?   Yes 1     No 1

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