A mother was caught driving her children to school while under the influence of cocaine, leading concerned parents to intervene and confiscate her car keys.
Hayley Berry, 36, appeared visibly impaired when she suddenly stopped her vehicle in the middle of the road in Broadstairs, Kent, in November last year. Alarmed parents quickly took action—one seizing her keys while others ensured her children reached school safely before alerting the authorities.
Berry was later arrested and charged with drug driving and driving while unfit through drugs. A blood test revealed she had 83 micrograms of benzoylecgonine per litre in her system, exceeding the legal limit of 50 micrograms per litre.
Additionally, traces of GHB, a sedative and anaesthetic drug, were found in her system, though she was not over the legal threshold for it.
Court Hearing and Sentence
During a March 7 hearing at Margate Magistrates’ Court, Berry pleaded guilty to the charges. Prosecutor Lucie Fish detailed how a passerby had to physically intervene to prevent Berry from continuing to drive.
Her defence lawyer, Nigel Numas, submitted a character reference from her cocaine sponsor, stating that Berry had been making progress in overcoming addiction and was taking responsibility for her actions. The court also heard that she unknowingly consumed GHB, believing it to be a legal high given to her by a man she was seeing at the time.
Sentencing her to eight weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, the magistrate condemned her actions as “one of the worst examples of drug driving” he had encountered.
“You had your youngest children in the back of the car and you were out of it. I don’t want to think what could have happened.”
Additional Penalties
In addition to the suspended sentence, Berry was:
- Banned from driving for 30 months
- Ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work
- Required to pay a £154 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs
Due to being on Universal Credit, she will pay the fines in instalments.
