A young woman sobbed in the dock as her lawyer explained how smoking cannabis once was threatening her new life in New Zealand.
Jessica Bardsley-Hulme, 33, was pulled over near Falmer on 29 September after her numberplate was flagged to officers over a possible insurance offence.
She was not charged with driving with no insurance – but a routine roadside breath test showed levels of cannabis, which she said was from smoking it at a party 24 hours before.
Her passport was confiscated, meaning she was not able to fly back to her home in New Zealand as planned last Tuesday (7 November), threatening the healthcare job she has there.
She is now afraid that the offence will mean the country refuses her entry when she is able to return.
Bardsley-Hulme, who studied pharmacy at the University of Brighton, spoke only to confirm her name and the address in Beech Grove, Brighton, the court had for her.
Defending on Thursday at Brighton Magistrates’ Court, James Macpherson: “We don’t know if she will even be able to stay in New Zealand.
“She was put under pressure at a party by people who said why don’t you just try this cannabis. She did unthinkingly and she was convinced she was fit to drive 24 hours later.
“The police have got her passport and they’re not going to release it until any financial penalty is paid. We have to wait for the fines department to send out a letter, which could take a week.”
He said that on occasion the court can say the fine is waived because of time spent in custody.
Out of desperation, they even asked police if she could spend some time in the cells so this could be proposed – but the request was refused.
Mr McPherson asked the bench if they could consider requiring her to sit at the back of the court for a period of time in lieu of a fine.
After retiring to consider the verdict, presiding magistrate Naomi Phillipson said: “We have considered your case carefully. There’s no way round the fact there’s a mandatory disqualification.
“The only thing we can consider is how long. The minimum disqualification is 17 months, and that’s what we are imposing.
“In terms of the financial penalty – we have listened to what your lawyer has said on your behalf and we do think there’s a financial penalty to pay.
“We haven’t accepted his suggestion that you sit at the back of this court instead of paying a fine.”
33 year old is pressured into smoking a joint something she had never done before i believe her now we’re did I put those magic beans.
Did she get legal aid
You’d think police would have more productive lines of enquiry into real crimes in their area, this is a joke.