Drug driver claims she was ‘secretly spiked’ and was ‘really shocked’ to test 12x limit
Gemma Threlfall claims she was “really shocked” when the drug test came back positive
Gemma Threlfall was sentenced at Warrington Magistrates Court on Wednesday, November 5
A woman convicted of drug driving has claimed that someone “secretly spiked” her drink at a house party.
Gemma Threlfall, a social media marketing executive, tested more than 12 times the drug driving limit after being stopped by the police in her Nissan Juke.
After being pulled over, Threlfall, from Whiston, Liverpool, was noted to have slurred slow speech and tested positive for cocaine.
The 29-year-old was stopped by police in her Nissan Juke and was noted to have slurred slow speech. She tested positive for cocaine but said she never took drugs and was ”shocked” to be over the limit.
Trelfall claimed that someone must have “secretly spiked” her drink with the illegal drug.
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The incident occurred at 9.30pm on June 16 when Threlfall was seen driving her car on Rocksavage Expressway at Runcorn towards the M56 motorway.
Traffic officer Luke Magnus said in a statement: ”I conducted a PNC check on the vehicle which gave a marker for a vehicle that may be involved in drug supply.
“’Due to this information I activated the emergency equipment and had the vehicle stopped. From speaking with the defendant I immediately formed the opinion that she was potentially driving while under the influence.
“Her speech was slurred and slow and her eyes glazed. A preliminary drug wipe was positive for cocaine.”
Gemma Threlfall appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court on Wednesday, November 5(Image: Cavendish Press (Manchester) LTD)
A blood test showed she had 603 micrograms of Benzoylecgonine (BZE) – the breakdown product of cocaine – per litre of blood, the legal limit being 50mg. She also had 18 micrograms of cocaine itself in her system the legal limit being 10mg.
At Warrington Magistrates Court, Threlfall, who admitted drug driving, argued “special reasons” in a bid to keep her licence; but she was banned from driving for 12 months after she was unable to provide any evidence to back up her account.
She was also fined £323 and ordered to pay £214 in costs and a victim surcharge.
Representing herself, Threlfall said: “I thought I was fine. I did not believe I was slurring and driving in any sort of dangerous way.
“When the test came back positive I was really shocked, in complete disbelief, because I had never knowingly taken illegal drugs in my life before. I was very anxious and really scared and my first thought was ‘How has that come back positive?’
“It was not until the letter came that my blood test was positive for cocaine that I started to suspect that a reasonable explanation for it would be someone had secretly spiked my drink.
“I had been out and met someone at the pub and this person invited me back to a house party and that is where it must have happened. I cannot remember much after that.
“All I can assume is that someone has made me a drink and they must have put something in there. There is no other way to think that the drugs would be in my system.”
When asked if she had tried to contact the person after coming to the conclusion she had been spiked, she said: “I cannot remember who it was or the person’s name. I just remember waking up the next day in bed.”
Reading from a statement she added: ”I want to express my sincere remorse for being before the court today. I have always lived a law abiding life and I have never been in trouble before.
“My friend who was in the car asked the officer if I was ok but he did not look up from his phone at first and put up a finger to say ‘One minute.’
”That experience was terrifying. I felt very trapped, unsafe and scared. This has been a life-changing experience for me. I work full time and have never knowingly taken illegal drugs. I believe I was unknowingly spiked the night before.”
But Mr Alex Farrow prosecuting told her: “Your only basis for thinking that you had been spiked is you say you have never done drugs. You have no other evidence. It was a very high reading and would not come from the night before.
“The police marker on the vehicle, where does that come from? The evidence does not suggest at all that you have been spiked.”
JP Karen Earnshaw added: “There is nothing to back up your claim. You do not remember it happening. You just started assuming it was happening. Your case did not come anywhere near where we would class that as a special reason.”