A WOMAN caught driving with an alcohol level almost four times the legal limit is thanking God that she is alive to tell the tale, her solicitor told magistrates.

“It is only by the grace of God that she is still alive,” said George Sorrell. “It is a marvel that a child was not left without a mother.

“She could have so easily killed someone, she realises that.”

Halina Paskovska, 43, of Kingfisher Drive, Wisbech, admitted driving with excess alcohol on December 13. Police stopped her after she was seen driving erratically in Wisbech late at night.

Andrea Fawcett, prosecuting, told magistrates: “She smelled strongly of alcohol and was unsteady on her feet.”

Paskovska gave a breath test reading of 133mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, almost four times the legal limit of 35mcg.

Mr Sorrell said: “She is very unhappy about the situation because she faces the prospect of losing her liberty.

“She has been suffering from depression and has lost her job; alcohol has become a big problem in her life.

“She finds herself in a terrible situation, dependent enough on alcohol to cause her drive a car when she was so intoxicated. She is not an alcoholic, more a binge drinker.”

The court imposed an interim driving ban on Paskovska and adjourned sentencing until January 26, for a pre-sentence report to be prepared by the probation service.