On-duty police officer found cradling a wine bottle whilst asleep at the wheel was three times over limit

21 November 2022, 23:47 | Updated: 22 November 2022, 01:36

An on-duty female police officer found “slumped” asleep behind the wheel of her patrol vehicle whilst cradling a bottle of white wine was over three times the legal drink-drive limit, a court has heard.

Helen Kane, 38, was found guilty of misconduct after a passing dog walker found her slouched against the driver's side of the police van with its engine still running on November 3 last year.

The Northumbria Police officer, who denied the charges, was found guilty by a jury at Teesside Magistrates Court on Friday.

The marked police vehicle, which also contained 3 dogs, was discovered by a member of the public in the middle of a junction in Whickham, near Gateshead.

Kane, from Belmont, County Durham, was seen to have a bottle of white wine between her legs when she was found asleep in the middle of the day.

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Appearing in court charged with misconduct in a public office, the former officer continued to deny the charges.

Prosecutor Robin Turton said: “After several bangs [on the window] the female police officer's head raised up and she wound down the window and had a brief conversation.

“The officer said she was alright, but when she was told she was parked in the middle of the road, she said: "Am I?".

“Between her legs was a brown wine bottle. When the member of the public was satisfied the driver was OK, she walked off but took a photograph of the police vehicle and phoned 999.”

The court heard how Kane, who was later taken to Southwick Police Station in Sunderland, gave a breath test reading of 117 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

Taking to the stand, Kane said she had been going through “personal and professional” issues, the latter of which stemmed from recent protests in Newcastle city centre in which a member of the public was bitten by a police dog.

She said: “My police dog was wrongly identified as that dog. As a result, I was advised by Northumbria Police there was a risk to me.”

Describing how a trip to her GP had resulted in anti-depressants being prescribed for her anxiety, Kane admitted she didn’t like taking time off work, instead using “alcohol to cope”.

The jury also heard that Kane had one previous conviction for driving with excess alcohol in her system, which stemmed from the same incident. It’s an offense she admitted to.

Kane is due to be sentenced on a date yet to be set, but likely to be before the end of the year.