A carer smoked cannabis to ease the stress of work, a court heard.
Melissa Sibanda, 25, was stopped driving a VW Scirocco on the A34 near Peartree services on May 1. She passed an alcohol breath test at the roadside but failed a ‘drugs wipe’ test.
A sample of her blood was taken at the police station and showed she had the equivalent of 6.7mlgs of alcohol in 100ml of blood. The legal limit is two.
She appeared before the Oxford Magistrates’ Court in custody on Saturday morning, having failed to attend a previous hearing.
Her solicitor said that Sibanda worked as a carer for an agency, doing a ‘very useful job to society’. She found the ‘whole thing very, very stressful and as a result smokes cannabis occasionally to calm her nerves’.
Sibanda, of Crockett Lane, Smethwick, admitted drug driving. She was fined £300, ordered to pay £119 in costs and surcharge and was banned from driving for a year.
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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.
To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk
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