Accountant Kelsey Ridings, who tested nearly four times over the legal alcohol limit after crashing her car has been cleared of drink-driving after telling the court that she drank two pints of vodka after the crash to “steady her nerves”.

Ridings crashed her Mercedes sports car with four children inside into another car, but left the scene before the Police could attend the collision. Officers went to Ridings home and a breadth test showed she had 124 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breadth. The legal limit is 35mg.

Despite magistrates says her account was “often confused and misleading” she was acquitted. Ridings explained she drove to a friend’s house straight after the crash and it was here she said she drank two strong drinks to calm her nerves before getting a lift home. Magistrates said that the Crown had not been able to provide its case beyond all reasonable doubt.