Woman caught drink driving two months after being spared jail for killing friend

A woman banned from driving after killing a friend when she lost control of her car was back behind the wheel while drunk two months later.

Jody Rachel Gilling, 289, was driving when she had ‘a momentary lapse in concentration’ and crashed into trees along a road in Stanley, County Durham.

Passenger Jake Blakemore, 29, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was flung from the seat and suffered fatal head injuries on September 3 last year.

Emergency services found Gilling outside her Peugeot 206 on the C128 Tanfield Lea to Kip Hill performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on her friend.

Gillings admitted causing death by careless driving to Durham Crown Court in March. She was banned from driving for a year and ordered to do community service.

But Gillings was back in court in May facing charges of driving while disqualified and without insurance, failing to provide a breath specimen and obstructing a police constable.

On May 11, Gillings was at a fish and chip shop in Middleton-in-Teesdale when worker Lydia Sunte expressed concerns about the defendant driving as she was under the influence. She took away Gilling’s car keys, said prosecutor Sam Ponniah.

Poniah told the court that Sunte later spotted Gillings and a male companion drinking at the nearby Forresters Hotel. The male managed to force entry into the car and, after Gillings took off the hand brake, the car began to roll down an incline and collided with bollards.

Police found Gillings was not insured and had been banned from diving. When officers hauled her into their vehicle, she acted aggressively and kicked out her leg.

Caroline McGurk, in mitigation, said it would appear that while Gilling was ‘impaired’ it was not a high level of impairment.

‘I accept there were aggravating features, with her failure to comply with the disqualification, and the fact there was a collision, means it does fall into a custodial element,’ McGurk added.

‘She does, however, take full responsibility for her actions and feelings of shame over the trouble she has caused everyone, and has intense feelings of guilt at the earlier offence.

‘Her behaviour spiralled downwards and she began drinking heavily and taking crack cocaine, whereas she only previously used cannabis and to no great degree.’

McGurk asked Judge Peter Armstrong to place the defendant into a drug rehabilitation programme – something the judge was ‘persuaded’ to agree with.

Addressing Gillings, who appeared in court via video uplink from Low Newton Prison, Durham, the judge said: ‘The most serious aspect of your offending was that it was so soon after the tragic events with Mr Blakemore, due to your driving.

‘You were banned from driving for 12 months and yet, not long after, here you are getting into a car again, no doubt over the limit, but to what extent is not precisely clear.

‘I’ll proceed on the basis that it was lower rather than higher.’

Armstrong said jail is ‘no place’ for Gillings.

‘I now think you ought to be out, being supported in the community,’ he added. ‘But, if you carry on like this, prison will be the place where you will be.’

Gillings was handed a six-month prison sentence – suspended for two years – during which she will undertake a six-month drug rehabilitation programme.

She will observe a 7pm to 7am home curfew for four months and take part in 20 days of rehabilitation activity requirement.

‘Don’t go anywhere near a motor car driving seat,’ the judge added, ‘otherwise you will be in real trouble.’

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