A DRUNK mum who drove the wrong way up a slip road with her daughter in the car narrowly missed causing a head-on crash.

Southampton Crown Court heard Nadia Fernandes Goncalves was arrested after she drove towards another vehicle while more than twice over the limit on a dual carriageway.

The mother-of-one, of Wildburn Close, Calmore, had been out for dinner with her mother and daughter before the incident.

Other motorists saw her behind the wheel of her Vauxhall Astra at about 9pm when she turned to head the wrong way up a slip road to the A338 in Bournemouth.

One vehicle heading southbound spotted Goncalves driving slowly and hugging the right-hand side of the road.

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The driver stopped while 35-year-old Goncalves attempted to drive around them before approaching her car and speaking to her.

Prosecuting, Harry Garside said “her speech was slurred” and the last thing she remembered was being in a restaurant having a glass of wine.

The incident took place close to the Vitality Stadium on May 1, 2023. 

Goncalves was arrested and later pleaded guilty to drink driving and dangerous driving.

A test revealed she had 85 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath – more than twice the 35 legal limit.

She later said: “I can’t remember, I just remembered the flash of seeing the police”.

Mitigating, Stephen Tricker said his client is of “good character” and “clearly recognised the gravity of what she has done.”

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He added that a “trigger point” for her offending was the death of her father and the death of her daughter’s father, leading her to “find solace in alcohol”.

But Judge Nicholas Rowland said she “should be ashamed” and that the consequences could have been “very serious”.

Goncalves was given a four-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months and disqualified from driving for two years.

She must complete 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 120 hours of unpaid work.

An extended re-test will also be required if she wants to get her licence back.

Judge Rowland added: “This lady needs intensive help before there is any question of her getting back on the road.

“My concern is the protection of the public when someone is driving with this level down the slip road the wrong way, albeit slowly.

“It is a troubling aspect of this case that you have no recollection. You must have had a number of glasses of wine.”