A woman clutching her injured dog fled the scene of an accident in Pinchbeck in which she had collided with a parked car, a court has heard.
Sammy Jo Leia Cook, 35, of French Drove, Thorney admitted failing to stop and failing to report an accident when she appeared at Boston Magistrates Court.
The magistrates heard police were called to the accident at Crossgate, Pinchbeck at 7.10pm on October 27 where they discovered that a Volkswagen Polo had collided with a parked Citroen car and the driver had run away without leaving any details and clutching a dog in her arms.
Paul Wood, prosecuting, said both cars had significant damage and the Polo was registered to Cook.
He said that as the airbags had inflated in the Polo, the police feared the driver might be injured and deployed a drone to search for her.
He said that Cook’s partner came to the scene and told officers that he did not know where she was, but he did know they did not need to look for her.
However, about two hours later, police found Cook in a building about half a mile away from the scene of the collision and, when they threatened to enter by force if necessary, she gave herself up.
Mr Wood said Cook gave a positive breath test for alcohol, but she was taken to hospital to be checked and by the time she was taken to the police station, the evidential test showed a reading under the limit.
Cook told the magistrates she had had a ‘massive argument’ with her partner during a weekend away and was driving home and had panicked after the collision.
“I shouldn’t have run away,” she said “I don’t do anything wrong normally.”
She added that she had checked the other car before leaving the scene and knew there was no-one in it.
Cook’s solicitor, Michael Alexander, said she had been ‘very emotional’ and in tears following the accident and had gone to her then boyfriend’s house and he went to the scene and told officers she was at his house.
“On this day she was very vulnerable and crashed the car because she was emotionally distraught,” he told the magistrates.
He said that as Cook already had six penalty points on her licence, if the magistrates gave her another six points or more, she would be liable to disqualification under the totting up procedure which meant she would lose her job as she lived in a remote area.
Putting five penalty points on her licence, the magistrates warned her that one more point would mean she would be banned for six months.
After hearing that she was not someone who looked to other people for help with her problems, they advised her strongly to ‘get some help’ before fining her £123 and ordering her to pay £117 in costs and charges.
