A woman who downed pitchers of martini before driving toddlers away from a golf club later threatened to petrol bomb the police who arrested her.
Kelly McLaren spent hours drinking the strong cocktails before driving off when she was so drunk that she had to use a wall to help her to stand up. She has been banned from having a Christmas or Hogmanay night out after a sheriff called her “disgraceful” and placed her on a six-week restriction of liberty order.
McLaren was arrested after being spotted speeding off from Kinross Golf Club and told one officer to: “F*** off, you Harry Potter-looking f***er.” After her disruptive behaviour forced officers to halt on the motorway, she told them she was connected to Irish terrorists and would call them in to bomb the police station.
McLaren, 29, from Kinross, admitted drink driving at the golf club and on Kinross High Street on June 8. She was nearly four times over the limit when she was finally tested four hours after her arrest. She also admitted acting in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and making death threats, Perth Sheriff Court was told on Wednesday.
Sheriff Simon Collins placed her on a curfew from 8pm-7am, banned her from driving for 18 months, and fined her £375 as a direct alternative to custody. He said: “These are circumstances in which she put children’s safety at substantial risk. Given the obvious level of intoxication she had, plainly at the time of driving it was likely to have been substantially more than was tested four hours later.
“What a shameful episode. It was absolutely disgraceful – I don’t know where to start. You say she is regretful about imperilling the lives of children and I certainly hope so.”
Fiscal depute Stephanie Paterson told the court a witness entered the golf club and saw McLaren was already heavily under the influence at 6.30pm. She carried on drinking heavily until 9pm. “She was consuming alcohol in pitchers,” Ms Paterson said. ” She was seen to get further intoxicated and snatch her car keys from on of the children who was running round with it.
“She placed children in the vehicle and got in the driver’s seat and started the engine. She was heard to sound her horn a few times for no reason. She was observed to drive down the single lane road at speed before coming to an abrupt stop at the junction with the main road. She disappeared from view and police were contacted.”
Officers who arrived at her home found her drunk and hostile and she was “holding onto the wall for balance.” She continued to sway and her eyelashes were hanging off.
She made the Harry Potter jibe at one officer and said: “I will find out where your f***ing family are and murder them. I will get you both murdered. I have family in Ireland who will find out where you live.” Ms Paterson said: “She made a comment that she knows how to make a petrol bomb and knows people in the UVA.” McLaren told officers the last thing she drank was a pitcher of martini.
Solicitor Alan Davie, defending, said: “The drive she made was little more than 300 yards. She is well aware of how foolish and potentially dangerous that decision was. After that she made a further selection of terrible decisions. She wasn’t in control of herself, or her language or actions. That continued from the house to the police station and does her no credit at all. She’s ashamed of that behaviour towards police.”
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletterhere.