Drunk driver downs hand sanitiser before breath test to fool police

Team Udayavani, Dec 22, 2021, 2:27 PM IST

Source: Times now

A drunk driver from the United Kingdom allegedly ingested hand sanitizer to deceive authorities before a breathalyzer test. The one thing she didn’t realise was that the antibacterial liquid was laced with ethanol.

Sophie Nutter, 29, was discovered in Yorkshire with four flat tires and a shattered windscreen after allegedly swerving wildly’ across a road in her Suzuki swift.

Blood was found on the rear window and one of the headlights when the officers pulled over the vehicle. When authorities approached her, they observed she was sipping hand sanitizer from a container, according to the Daily Mail.

She then refused to give a breath sample twice before registering 52 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. In the United Kingdom, the legal limit is 35mcg.

The mother from Yorkshire had already violated a two-year suspended sentence imposed in 2020 for drug offences. She admitted to drink-driving and operating a vehicle liable to cause bodily harm before a Hull Crown Court hearing this time.

Sophie had swallowed sanitiser in a futile attempt to lower her breath test reading, according to recorder Alex Menary.

She received a one-year community service order as well as a 23-month driving suspension.