A NORTH Cumbrian woman has admitted drink driving in Abbeytown– but she hopes to avoid a ban because she believes her drink was “spiked.”

Kirsti Easton, 36, from Springkell, Aspatria, committed the offence on February 8, when a breath test confirmed she had 53mcg of alcohol in 100mls of breath.

The legal limit for driving is 35mcg.

At Carlisle’s Rickergate court, she admitted the offence. The court heard that she was stopped by the police just before midnight. She was driving a Honda CRV at Parkside, on the Wigton to Silloth road, the charge states.

Defence lawyer Duncan Campbell told the court that Easton when stopped had told the officers that she had consumed only one drink and had not intended to drive or to drink that evening.

But, having been persuaded to have “a glass of wine,” she did not believe she would be driving.

“All we can think is that the person gave her more than a glass of wine and it had something else in it, so it was a spiked drink situation,” said the lawyer.

“So she is guilty of the offence but hopefully she can advance a reason [not to be disqualified].”

He said the defendant needed to ensure that potential witnesses were willing to support her application to the court.

Magistrates adjourned the case for a further hearing on March 25.