Teesside A&E hospital consultant banned for drink-driving after covid pressures lead to depression

Dr Katherine Williamson, who works as an accident and emergency consultant at North Tees hospital, was arrested after the collision close to her home in Wynyard last September.

Teesside Magistrates Court heard she was found to have 354 miligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of urine.

The legal limit is 107 milligrammes.

Prosecutor Joanne Hesse described how a witness saw Dr Williamson driving a black Audi A4 coming towards her at some speed along The Wynd at around 4.50pm on September 6 last year.

The doctor mounted a verge and collided with a street sign before stopping a short distance later.

Police were called and attended the scene.

Ms Hesse said: “The defendant was unsteady on her feet. She couldn’t walk in a straight line and needed to steady herself against the police vehicle to maintain her balance.”

There was a strong smell of alcohol on Dr Williamson’s breath and she had difficulty speaking, the court heard.

She pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

Charles Weidner, defending, said Dr Williamson had been at the forefront of trauma cases in A&E and the fight against Covid, but it led to her suffering from depression.

Mr Weidner said: “That was going on over a long period of time, long hours and due to the nature of the work she became depressed in December 2020 and was diagnosed with depression.”

Dr Williamson, 40, stopped working to get help but it was hampered by difficulties seeing to a GP face to face.

Mr Weidner said she has recently returned to work on reduced hours as a result of treatment she received following her arrest.

He added Dr Williamson, of The Wynd, has not touched alcohol since.

She was banned from driving for 24 months and fined £1,219 plus case costs and a surcharge.

Magistrates said given the circumstances around the offence and work by Dr Williamson to recover they would not impose a community order as suggested by sentencing guidelines.

Chair of the bench Peter Bowes said: “Don’t get behind the wheel of a car and hopefully you will go on with your recovery.”

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