A WOMAN who was involved in a head-on car crash that closed a residential road for hours was "in the wrong place at the wrong time".

Kirstie Pearman was drunk whilst behind the wheel of her Mini Cooper on November 13, 2020.

She was involved in a head-on collision with an Audi on Beggarwood Lane at around 10pm on the Friday night.

Appearing at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court on Tuesday charged with drink driving, Pearman was fined and banned from getting behind the wheel of a vehicle for a year.

Prosecutor David Fossler told the court how the 26-year-old "was in no way responsible" for the collision.

Basingstoke Gazette:

"There are no aggravating features of Miss Pearman's driving, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when someone drove into her," he said.

He added that Pearman was driving her Mini on the correct side of the road, between the junctions of Broadmere Road and Ferndown Close, when the Audi came onto the wrong side of the carriageway and hit her car head-on.

Three people suffered minor injuries in the crash, with one person having to be taken to hospital to have their injuries assessed.

Police, fire crews and ambulances descended on the scene, with the road closed for several hours whilst the vehicles were recovered and debris cleaned up.

Mr Fossler added that Pearman had complied with police at the scene, taking a roadside breath test which revealed she was under the influence of alcohol.

She was found to have had 46 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, where the legal limit is 35.

Defending herself, Pearman, of Brittania Drive, told Magistrates: "I have learnt from it and I will never do it again. It was one of those things."

She was given a 12-month disqualification from driving, which can be reduced on the successful completion of a drink-drive awareness course.

The 26-year-old was also fined £80, ordered to pay court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £34.

A 29-year-old man who was not named, believed to be the Audi driver, was arrested at the time on suspicion of driving a motor vehicle while over the legal limit, failing to stop at the scene of a road accident, failure to report a road accident, dangerous driving and leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position.

He was released by police under investigation. Hampshire Constabulary has been contacted for an update.