A 44-year-old woman, who drove to pick up her son when she was almost twice over the drink drive limit, has appeared in court.

A 44-year-old woman, who drove to pick up her son when she was almost twice over the drink drive limit, has appeared in court.

Lorraine McDonald was stopped by police for speeding in a green Land Rover in Landseer Road, Ipswich, at about 10pm.

McDonald, of Boxes Farm, Nacton, told police she had drunk two large glasses of wine and then received a call from her son asking for a lift from a basketball game on the other side of town.

Lesla Small, prosecuting at South East Suffolk Magistrate's Court, said officers noticed the smell of alcohol on McDonald's breath and did a roadside test which proved positive.

She had 63 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol. McDonald pleaded guilty for driving with excess alcohol on January 7.

Neil Saunders mitigating said McDonald, who had been convicted of speeding in the past, had been driving at 37 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour limit.

He said that when she drank the wine she had not expected to be driving that evening.

Mr Saunders said: “She stupidly took the motor car to get her son not realising she was over the limit.”

He said his client was of previous good character. He added that McDonald did not have “a lot of spare cash”.

“She is on various benefits and does some work but that may end soon due to this climate.”

Magistrates fined McDonald �125 and told her to pay a �15 victim surcharge and �50 towards court costs. McDonald was disqualified from driving for 17 months but told that if she completed the drink driver's rehabilitation course the ban would be reduced by four months.

She was warned that the disqualification took immediate affect and if she was caught driving before she got her licence back she could face prison.