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Canterbury drink-drive school run mum Louise Langmaid hit parked BMW holding Lizzie Taylor's newborn baby

A mum drunk on the school run crashed into a car carrying a newborn baby while more than double the legal limit.

Nursery nurse Louise Langmaid, 38, jumped behind the wheel of her Kia to collect her children from school at 3pm on February 2.

But during the journey she hit the parked BMW of Lizzie Taylor, who had her four-week-old daughter Lottie in the back seat.

Louise Langmaid who was convicted of drink driving
Louise Langmaid who was convicted of drink driving

The police were called and Langmaid, who Miss Taylor suspected was drunk, was breathalysed and arrested at the scene.

Miss Taylor, 25, a dental hygienist from Sittingbourne, told the Gazette: “I was appalled when I found out she was on the school run.

“I had my newborn baby in my car and she was driving around drunk in the middle of the day to pick her kids up.

“I had my newborn baby in my car and she was driving around drunk in the middle of the day to pick her kids up" - Lizzie Taylor

“It was all quite upsetting because my baby was crying.

“My mum stood in front of her vehicle because she appeared drunk and the police were called. I was anxious to exchange details because there was damage to my bumper but she wasn’t being very cooperative.”

Mum-of-three Langmaid, of New House Lane, appeared before Canterbury magistrates on Monday and admitted drink-driving.

Richard Link, prosecuting, told the court police had been called to Wincheap to reports of a minor collision.

He said: “It was said to involve a stationary car and officers found the defendant still sat in her vehicle, which was at an angle as if it had pulled out.

“She denied she had been in a collision but there was a small scratch to one of the vehicles.”

After failing a breathalyser, Langmaid was taken to Canterbury police station, where a further test revealed she had 79 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of her breath. The legal limit is 35.

Kavi Choolun, defending, said Langmaid was “extremely remorseful and distressed” by the incident.

Lizzie Taylor with baby Lottie
Lizzie Taylor with baby Lottie

He told the court she had stopped on her journey to pick up her children after deciding it was “the wrong thing to do”.

He said: “The reason she drove is that she has been on anti-depressants since last August, but had been sick and missed her medication.

“It was an error of judgement that she decided to drive and pick up her children.

“She decided to stop and call her husband to get him to collect them but she disputes there was a minor collision. She works in a nursery and is a mother-of-three who will do what is needed to address her problems.”

Magistrates banned Langmaid from driving for 18 months and fined her £250 with £80 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Miss Taylor, who needed a new bumper after the collision, said outside the court: “I’m glad she was caught and banned because there could have been a tragedy.”

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