Drink-driver downs hand sanitiser in an attempt to trick breathalyser – forgetting it contains alcohol

An East Yorkshire woman tried an unusual tactic to cheat a breath test in April this year, by swigging some hand sanitiser which, obviously, contained alcohol.

Police found Sophie Nutter in a Suzuki Swift with four flat tyres and a smashed windscreen after she was seen “swerving violently” across a road in Beverley. Blood was discovered on the rear door of the vehicle and on one of the front headlights.

It was as officers approached the 29-year-old that she decided to chug the antibacterial drink. She refused two times to provide a breath sample, before a reading came back showing she had 52mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

For those unaware of the legal measurements, that’s a fair way off the legal limit of 35mcg.

Nutter pleaded guilty to drink driving and using a vehicle likely to cause danger of injury at Hull Crown Court, where Record Alex Menary said she had avoided being jailed for Christmas.

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The offences breached a two-year suspended prison sentence imposed by the court in October 2020, concerning the possession of heroin and possessing criminal property.

Nutter was handed a one-year community order involving 20 days of rehabilitation and 25 hours of unpaid work, plus a 23-month driving ban.

She was also ordered to pay £100 in costs.