A Sandown mum who drove to a local shop after a family BBQ whilst twice the drink drive limit has been disqualified from driving for 17 months.
28-year-old Connie Rose Hughes, from Sandown, appeared before the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court on Friday morning charged with drink driving.
The court heard that an employee at the Co-Operative in Sandown High Street alerted Police to a suspected drink driver on 5th June. A description of the vehicle and driver was passed to the authorities, who sent an officer to the registered keeper’s address.
Hughes was found in a heavily intoxicated state at her home address and was arrested. She was taken to Newport Police Station and blew 73 on the evidential breathalyzer – twice the drink-drive limit. She claimed that she had drunk 3 to 4 large vodka drinks once she had arrived home, plus a bottle of Corona prior to driving.
Defending, Oscar Vincent explained that his client was of previous good character with no previous convictions or cautions, with reassurances Hughes would not be involved in the Criminal Justice system again. Mr Vincent said there were exceptional circumstances that day, with the family enjoying a BBQ on a rare day off for Connie’s partner. Hughes’ 2 children had been ‘playing up’ leading to a stressful day.
Once the children had been put to bed Hughes decided to drive to the shop for groceries, feeling ‘perfectly fine’ to drive.
Magistrates handed down a 17-month disqualification from driving and fined Connie Hughes £120, with £85 costs and a £34 surcharge.




























































































You cant buy stupidity, I dont get why a mother of two would think after 4 vodkas I’m fine to drive, next time just walk stop risking other people’s lives
Funny how you dislike the comment but would you be so negative if she had hit someone you knew? Kids and stress dont come into drink driving, if you have the time to drink 4 vodkas you have the time to not get into a car and feel it’s okay to drive…..clueless girl
My partner crashed his car through no fault of his own, was told he could leave the scene and then the police turned up at his house 3 hours after the incident at 2am in the morning to breathalyse him!! He could easily have gone home and drank afterwards and would have looked like he’d been over the limit driving. Think it is so easy for people to sit behind a computer and judge others when they have no idea what actually occurred and maybe you should think about the affects that writing nasty, insulting comments has on someone’s mental health.
When you’ve had a brother die because of a drink driver then you will understand, I’m not a keyboard warrior just people who are incapable of walking, getting a bus or taxi once they have had a drink need to wake up…..if she is that stupid she shouldn’t drive at all…enjoy the ban another unsafe driver off the road =)
Whaaat…? And you believed him..!
If you read it she had four vodkas when she GOT HOME!!!!
It actually says she drank them after she returned home. Maybe read before commenting and judging, now that’s what you call stupid.
not that old chestnut – i drank them after getting home – that tired, worn out excuse is still being peddled by those trying to get out of facing up to the fact they were drunk at the wheel.
and as for mental health – well, don’t get in the car drunk and you won’t get sl%gged off
Apart from The Hardy Boys, only one other person can solve this mystery. The co-op employee.
Did she smell of beer, or vodka, when she came into the shop?
My clue is pointing over there.
Well not exactly. “She” says she drank them on returning home. Obviously the magistrates didnt believe her account especially with eye witness evidence at the shop.x
Very surprised she was convicted. How could they prove she was over the limit at the time. Her story would normally hold up.
They would workout the timeline through blood test
There is a procedure called “count back”, where samples can be sent to forensic lab and they calculate the amount of alcohol that was consumed at time of incident.
If she was ‘perfectly fine’ to drive then why did someone feel the need to call the police? Must have been driving really bad for someone to do that.
I think for ever unit you are over should be a month so she should be banned for 73 months can’t take the ban don’t drink
why was my comment removed? all i said was if you believe that you’re as stupid as she is