A woman who crashed her car into a telegraph pole while under the influence of cocaine has been handed a suspended prison sentence and banned from driving.
Emma Dutton, 43, from Wallingford, was driving along Stadhampton Road in Little Milton, Oxfordshire, when she fell asleep at the wheel.
Dashcam footage released by Thames Valley Police shows Dutton’s blue car continuing straight ahead as the road bends to the right.
The vehicle leaves the carriageway and crashes into a telegraph pole, causing it to collapse. The car then comes to a stop partially on the grass verge and partially across the road.
Driver tested positive for cocaine
Following the collision, Dutton underwent drug testing and was found to have cocaine in her system above the legal limit for driving.
She appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on 8 October, where she pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and drug-driving.
Dutton was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended, and disqualified from driving for 22 months.
Police issue warning to motorists
Thames Valley Police released the dashcam footage alongside a warning about the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs.
The force said: “We say this every time, but please don’t drug drive.
“It isn’t worth risking your licence, your freedom, or somebody else’s life.”
The footage has prompted criticism on social media, with some users questioning whether the sentence was sufficiently severe.
The incident highlights the potential consequences of drug-driving and the risks posed to other road users when drivers get behind the wheel while impaired.
