Girlfriend caught drink-driving her boyfriend’s car an hour after he was arrested for exactly the same offence

A woman was caught drink-driving her partner's car barely an hour after his arrest for the same offence had left her stranded with the vehicle.
Julie De La Haut got behind the wheel in the early hours of New Year's Day after police left her alone and vulnerable in a dark car park in Oxford, with no cash for a cab.
But after she set off without switching on her headlights, it took just moments for her to be intercepted by a police patrol.
De La Haut, 24, and her 31-year-old boyfriend Patrick Ochila, who live together in Carterton, Oxfordshire, appeared in the dock at Oxford Magistrates Court minutes apart to admit the charges against them.

The court heard that the couple had been out celebrating the New Year and got into their Nissan X-Trail in the early hours of the morning after drinking.
'Just before 4am on January 1, Mr Ochila was stopped by police,' said prosecutor Sarah Mackay. 'Police had received information about the defendant driving while under the influence and asked the vehicle to stop.'
Breathalysing Ochila by the roadside, police found he had 67 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath - nearly twice the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.
Officers took him to Oxford Police Station, leaving De La Haut stranded and also drunk with the vehicle in a car park.
'At 5.10am, police officers observed the Nissan X-Trail moving in the car park next to the ice rink on Oxpens Road,' Mrs Mackay went on. 'The vehicle drove on to Oxpens Road and went into Thames Street with the driver failing to use the lights on the vehicle.'
When De La Haut was pulled over she gave an even higher roadside reading than her partner, measuring 81 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
Angela Porter, mitigating, said both defendants accepted they were over the limit and knew they would be banned from driving and fined.
Ochila, who works for BT, and De La Haut both wrote letters in mitigation which were handed to the magistrates' before sentencing.
'You will see from the letter that she sincerely apologises for what has happened. The consequences for the family will be very severe as they will have to work out how they can manage with both of them being unable to drive,' said Mrs Porter.
Presiding magistrate Roger Clarke described Ochila as 'a decent, honest, hard-working family man' and expressed regret at seeing him in court.
Neither defendant had any previous convictions.

'We are certain that nobody more than you is disappointed with your conduct. We are quite clear in our minds that you have learned your lesson,' Mr Clarke told Ochila, adding that he hoped BT would retain him despite his conviction.
Ochila was banned from driving for 18 months and ordered to pay a £375 pound fine, £85 costs and a £37 pound victim surcharge, while De La Haut was banned for 20 months, fined £300 pounds and a £30 surcharge.
'You found yourself in a very difficult and vulnerable position in Oxford, in a dark area without funds for alternative transport - perhaps you didn't think straight,' Mr Clarke told De La Haut.
'But you drove on the road and you didn't put the lights on in the car, which alerted police.'
'You have both made a mistake, it is a great tragedy and shame for you as a couple. We all make mistakes in life, please draw a line under this and learn a lesson from it.'