Magistrates stated it was lucky no one died when a drunk-driver crashed into a tree after drinking a phenomenal amount of alcohol.

Kayleigh Lianne Dell, of Fishguard, pleaded guilty to driving while over the legal alcohol limit when she appeared at Haverfordwest magistrates court on Tuesday, June 25.

Vaughan Pritchard-Jones, prosecuting, told the court a driver found Dell’s Ford Fiesta blocking Maesgwyn Lane, Fishguard, at 11.30pm on January 14, after it crashed into a tree.

Dell, 27, was inside the car, but wasn’t moving. She was conscious but ‘not making a lot of sense’ when police and paramedics arrived.

Her dog was found uninjured in the back of the car.

Mr Pritchard-Jones said: “A roadside test was 204mg (in breath), so it’s surprising that this lady was alive. At that reading most people would have died of alcohol poisoning.”

Dell was found to have 280mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood when a sample was taken in hospital approximately four hours after the incident, three and-a-half times the legal limit of 80mg.

Mr Pritchard-Jones said: “There was an accident, a risk to the public and a very high reading.

“She said she had no recollection of getting into the car, let alone driving or crashing it.”

He added: “This is a lady who had drunk a phenomenal amount of alcohol before getting behind the wheel.”

The court heard that Dell, who spent time in hospital as a result of the crash, had a previous conviction for drink-driving in 2016.

Tom Lloyd, defending, said Dell had taken ‘significant steps’ to address her issues, and was receiving support following a ‘traumatic time’.

He added that Dell had suffered ‘absolutely horrendous’ domestic abuse which resulted in her becoming ill and she turned to alcohol as a ‘crutch’.

“This is someone who has been through hell, someone who has made a mistake and needs help.”

The bench heard that Dell was ‘deeply remorseful for her actions’, and speculated that she had driven to remove herself from the situation after arguing with her then-partner.

Magistrates told Dell that she would have ‘undoubtedly’ been sent to prison had it not been for the mitigation presented.

They sentenced Dell to a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work and a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

She was banned from driving for four years and ordered to pay £170 in costs and a surcharge.

The chairman of the bench said: “This was a very serious offence. Fortunately no-one died as a result of this.”