Woman, 71, who crashed in Sheringham was twice over limit

Hilary Bennett, 71, launched into a foul-mouthed rant as two women she had narrowly missed attempted to rescue her from the wreckage after she drove off the road and smashed into a tree.

Norwich Magistrates’ Court was told one of the women, who had to take evasive action to avoid being hit, had described her car swerving erratically onto the wrong side of Holway Road in Sheringham.

READ MORE: Caister drink driver hid in bushes after crashing into ditch

“Her driving was out of control from one side of the road to another. I was absolutely terrified,” she said in a statement read in court. 

“I thought the car was going to roll over and hit me head-on. I had nowhere to go and it missed me by inches.”

Hilary Bennett was more than twice the drink drive limit when she crashed into a tree on Holway Road in Sheringham (Image: Google)

She said despite attempting to help following the subsequent crash, both she and her passenger had faced a “torrent of abuse that was hateful and offensive”.

“When I told her she could have killed me she said that she wished she had,” she added.  

Prosecutor Lesla Small said Bennett had blown more than twice the drink drive limit following the crash on October 18.

She told police she had drunk two bottles of wine and had been on her way to buy a third when she drove off the road. 

READ MORE: Drink driving soldier crashed car into Norfolk field

Bennett, of Vale Road in High Kelling, pleaded guilty to drink driving and two charges of using threatening, abusive and insulting words.

James Burrows, mitigating, said: “She is incredibly appalled by her disgraceful behaviour. She makes no excuses.”

Banning her from driving for 19 months, magistrates said her actions had caused "considerable distress”.  

They ordered she also pay £100 compensation to each victim and fines and costs of £385.