'Well-presented' woman high on cocaine who went round Portsmouth roundabout wrong way before crashing faces wrath of judge

Unemployed Cara Austin, 34, was warned she could be jailed after getting involved in a spat with district judge Anthony Callaway when she appeared at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court.

Shamed Austin, of Stanhorn, Bognor Regis, blamed her actions on being in the ‘wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong people’ when police caught her in her Volkswagen Golf in Bradford Road, Portsmouth, on December 1.

The court heard the defendant had more than double the legal limit of cocaine in her blood with 25 micrograms when the legal limit is 10 micrograms.

Austin was also found to have 200 micrograms of a cocaine breakdown product in her system when the limit was 50 micrograms. An excess amount of diazepam – or valium – was also found in her system.

Judge Callaway told Austin: ‘It was lucky no-one was killed or injured. You were driving around a roundabout when you were seriously over the limit with drugs in your system.’

Asked if she had anything to tell the court, Austin said: ‘I’m very embarrassed I’m here. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong people.

‘I don’t know Portsmouth and was giving a lift to someone. It’s not something I regularly do. I’m ashamed.’

A bizarre exchange then followed as Judge Callaway attempted to establish the defendant’s financial means in order to determine a penalty he was considering.

But after growing inpatient at attempts to find out her means – with Austin only revealing she was unemployed but looking for work – the judge snapped.

‘I could send you to prison for this,’ he told Austin. ‘You need to wise up and realise how serious this is.

‘You’re obviously a lady who presents well and must be employable. I’ve asked you about your financial means several times.’

‘What am I meant to say?’ Austin hit back before she was cut down.

‘You keep on telling me you have no money. But I cannot fine you unless I have the means to get there,’ Judge Callaway said.

The judge then told the court he was looking at dishing out an unpaid work requirement instead – prompting Austin to insist she would pay any fine.

Austin, who admitted three charges of driving while over the limit with drugs, was then lumped with a £1,000 fine and told to pay costs of £85, as well as being given a two-year driving ban.