Teenage drunk driver, 19, was THREE times over the limit and driving without insurance when she crashed into a family home and caused £10,000 of damage just weeks after passing her test
- Catherine Morgan, 19, was three times over the limit when she decided to drive
- Morgan, who only passed her test weeks earlier, crashed VW van into a house
- Court told she caused £10k in damage to Swansea home and other belongings
- Teenager was handed a suspended prison sentence and a three-year driving ban
A teenage girl who smashed into a house after getting behind the wheel while drunk and causing £10,000 in damage has avoided prison.
Catherine Morgan, 19, who only passed her test weeks earlier, left the bonnet wedged into the house after driving drunk and without insurance.
A court heard she was three times over the drink drive limit when she smashed into the ground floor flat in a black VW Caddy van.
Prosecutor Olivia Samuel said Morgan caused £7,900 of repairs in the scene of destruction as well as damage to personal items in the home in Swansea, South Wales.
Police were called to the scene to find ‘substantial’ internal and external damage – at midnight on Christmas Eve.
The flat owner said she now felt afraid to stay in her bedroom which used to be a ‘safe space where I could feel calm and relaxed’.
Pictured: Catherine Morgan, 19, has been banned from driving for three years and handed a suspended prison sentence after she drunkenly crashed into a home in Swansea at Christmas
Catherine Morgan has been spared prison after crashing into a home in Swansea while driving drunk just weeks after passing her test. The teenager caused an estimated £10,000 damage
She added: ‘I feel I have to leave a car in front of the house now as a safety cushion.’
Morgan had been taken away from the scene after the crash due to a ‘male passenger being abusive’.
She submitted to a road side breath test where her alcohol level was 105 microgrammes. The legal limit is 35.
Magistrates in Swansea heard police later discovered Morgan was only allowed to drive an automatic vehicle and had no insurance.
The full repairs would be in the region of £7,908 along with £1,780 for damage to personal items in the flat.
Defending Mark Davies said Morgan had no previous convictions.
Morgan got behind the wheel of the black VW Caddy van while three times over the limit
Prosecutors say the crash caused £10,000 worth of damage to the home and belongings
Pictured: A picture of Morgan’s driving certificate shared online after she passed weeks earlier
He added: ‘She has been through a lot of things in her life. She is holding it together now but was not when I told her she was at risk of prison.
‘Sometimes people make terrible mistakes and they can be lucky there are no more serious consequences’.
Morgan, of Tumble, Swansea, pleaded guilty to driving while above the drink drive limit, using a vehicle without insurance, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and driving without due care and attention.
Chairman of magistrates Gillian Davies said: ‘We have considered all the information provided to us and note your previous clean character and remorse.
‘However, we feel this incident crosses the custody threshold. You had an extremely high reading of alcohol.
‘The accident you caused leaving the road and coming into collision with a flat was a traumatic and inconvenient one for the resident involved.
Catherine Morgan was banned from driving for three years and ordered to pay £400 in compensation on top of a prison sentence of 10 weeks which was suspended for 15 months
‘You knew you were over the limit and still drove. In fact, the whole incident could have been considerably worse.
‘You could have killed someone or yourself. You had only just passed your tests and had no insurance.
‘However, we have decided to suspend the sentence because of the personal mitigation on your behalf and we feel with assistance from the probation service you could address your issues and not see you in court again’.
Morgan was sentenced to ten weeks in prison, suspended for 15 months.
She was also ordered to attend twenty rehabilitation activity requirements, and made subject to a nine month mental health treatment requirement.
Morgan was disqualified from driving for 36 months and ordered to pay £400 compensation.
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