AN UNQUALIFIED driver who smashed her mother’s car into a wall when she was more than three times over the drink drive limit has avoided jail.

Rebecca Price, 25, who only holds a provisional driving licence, took the Peugeot 206 from her driveway on Upper Bridge Street in Pontypool after her mum had come to visit her at home in February.

On reversing the car out of the driveway at about 9.15pm on February 12, she crashed into a Volkswagen car, cracking its bumper.

She continued driving around the Tranch area, along Twmpath Road and School Close, failing to turn her headlights on. She clipped a police car which was driving in the opposite direction to her and later drove the car into a wall, bringing her journey to an abrupt end.

A police officer who was driving the marked car went over to see Price and smelled alcohol on her breath. In later tests taken that night, it emerged she had 115 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres.

Defending, Claire Pickthall said Price had “done her very best to move forward” since the incident.

She added Price had been struggling following difficulties with the father of her son when she took the vehicle. Price is currently absent from work at a care home because of anxiety issues.

Price had admitted aggravated vehicle taking, driving with excess alcohol, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and having no insurance at an earlier hearing.

And sentencing her, Recorder Robert Craven said at Cardiff Crown Court: “You must be thoroughly ashamed that you have committed these offences.

“I have thought hard about whether a custodial sentence is inevitable in your case and I have decided it is not. That is perhaps a lenient course in your case.”

Price must instead carry out a year-long community order and observe a curfew for 56 days. The judge said this was passed on the basis it was “deliberately going to be an inconvenience”. It will need to be observed from 8pm until 6am.

She is also banned from driving for 24 months. Price must pass an extended driving test if she wants to learn to drive in the future.

And she must also pay £340 in compensation, £300 towards prosecution costs and an £80 victim surcharge. She will pay that back at a rate of £30 per month.