A DRUG-DRIVER who was 22 times over the cocaine limit while on a suspended sentence order has been spared jail.

Rachel Sermon, 37, was driving a Nissan Qashqai on the A66 between Cockermouth and Workington on November 22 last year.

Pamela Fee, prosecuting at Workington Magistrates’ Court, said the vehicle was pulled over by police and a drugs wipe was positive for cocaine.

The legal limit for cocaine10µg/L This is a 'zero tolerance' legal limit, meaning even a small amount of cocaine can put you over the limit.

Ms Fee said there were passengers in the vehicle when it was stopped, including a young child.

Sermon was arrested and taken to the police station and a blood sample was taken.

This showed the defendant had 226mcg of cocaine per litre of blood. Some cannabis was also detected in her blood.

Sermon had been subject to a two-year suspended sentence order imposed by the crown court when the offence took place.

Mike Pope, defending, said: “It’s a guilty plea at the first opportunity. That’s on the back of full cooperation with police. There was no difficulty at all with her behaviour.

“It’s not a case of bad driving. The defendant suspects somebody has pointed the finger at her.

“The reason she was taking these substances was because of a break-up of a domestic relationship.”

Mr Pope said the suspended sentence order had been imposed for possession with intent but the level of involvement had been ‘very low’ and she hadn’t been a ‘big player’.

A probation officer said Sermon had engaged positively with the probation service throughout the suspended sentence order.

Sermon, of Wasdale Close, Whitehaven, pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit.

Magistrates imposed a 12-month community order with 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days and banned the defendant from driving for two years.

She was fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 costs.