Samantha Eaton was stopped as part of a routine police check in Merseyside last September – she claimed that she was only using the class B drug to help her sleep
A 34-year-old grandmother was nicked by the cops for being high on cannabis while she was driving to school to pick up her daughter.
Samantha Eaton, 34, was only stopped by the force during a routine check in the Bebington area of the Wirral in Merseyside last September. Tests found that the mum-of-two was almost one-and-a-half times the limit for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the psychoactive component of the Class B drug.
Her dad paid for a private blood test to contest the reading, but this also showed that she was over the legal limit of 2mg. It comes after police shamed British drugs mules by making them pose for photos with suitcases.
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Eaton pleaded guilty to drug driving but was spared jail and instead banned from driving for three years. The former care worker was caught drink-driving in 2020 and also has previous convictions for possession of a Class A drug, being drunk and disorderly and an offence related to car insurance.
She was fined £160, with £264 in costs and surcharge at Sefton Magistrates’ Court. Prosecutor Lynne Sayers said: ‘On September 12 the defendant was on the way to pick her children up when she pulled over a routine stop.
“She co-operated with the officer and provide a positive reading for a drug saliva test. She was taken to custody where she provided a blood sample and which was over the limit. There are no aggravating features in this case. There were no passengers and no accidents.”
The court heard how Eaton was forced to leave her home in 2023 after a petrol bomb attack by gangsters warring with her jailbird ex-partner. Representing herself, she described the trauma the incident caused her family.
She said: “I have got two children and I have had to move out of the area for our own safety. I was petrol bombed and it was associated with who my ex-partner had trouble with.
“I left him seven years ago but my family home was petrol bombed and I had to move out of the area. It was night and I was in the bedroom. They literally petrol bombed the front door. It was horrendous and traumatic.”
Eaton claimed she began using cannabis to help her sleep at night and was unaware that she would be over the limit when the cops pulled her over. She added that she has since been prescribed alternative medication and has stopped taking the drug.
She went on: “I am a single parent and that is why I thought cannabis once per night would help me to sleep. I was picking up my daughter on that day. She attends a special needs school. I would never dream of picking the kids up if I knew I was over the limit.”
The grandmother admitted to having a “bad past” and said the driving ban will “really impact” her life. She said: “We are 30 minutes drive from anywhere we know. Where we are we do not know anybody.
“My dad knows the situation, that is why he offered to pay to questions the blood test. It came back “over”. It was ‘just over’. We thought I might possibly be over but my dad’s words were ‘No harm in trying’.
“I think I am going to go back into care work. I was a carer in the community but I have really had it tough. I tried to do everything right by the kids and by myself. I have a granddaughter who is one in a few weeks. They live in Rock Ferry. We are far away from everybody.”
Sentencing Judge Timothy Boswell said: “Cannabis is an illegal drug and can cause a lot of damage to your physical and mental health. It can land you in a criminal court with a conviction like this.
“When police spoke to you the reason they asked for a sample was because you had a previous conviction for drugs. There is no suggestion there were any signs of impairment.
“Nevertheless, it is an illegal drug. And if you take it that is the risk you run. I take into account you have been through an extremely traumatic incident shortly before that and have been suffering from panic attacks. But I am sure you now realise that illegal drugs are not the answer to that.”