North Wootton woman Jade McCarthy in King’s Lynn court after drug-driving in Hunstanton

A 24-year-old had “nothing to say” after being disqualified from driving for the second time in a matter of months for the same offence.

Jade McCarthy, of Wheatley Drive in North Wootton, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where she admitted drug-driving.

She committed the offence on June 14 last year, with police being alerted to the fact that she may have been behind the wheel while under the influence.

Officers located her and illuminated their lights, turning their own vehicle around and eventually managing bring her to a halt on Sandringham Road at Hunstanton.

When they did so, McCarthy told them: “Just arrest me.”

She was originally arrested for failing to stop, before a roadside drugs test revealed she was over the limit and she was detained for that too.

Evidential blood tests in custody revealed she had 73mcg of benzolecgonine, a cocaine breakdown, per litre of blood in her system, exceeding the legal limit to drive of 50mcg.

When questioned by officers, McCarthy said she had noticed the police sirens, but did not originally think they were intended for her – hence her failure to stop.

The court was told by prosecutor Asif Akram that McCarthy had six previous criminal convictions for a total of nine offences.

Among those was a drug-driving offence for which she was handed a 12-month driving ban in August last year. However, because that offence took place after her Hunstanton offence, she did not face a mandatory three-year disqualification this time around.

Appearing in court unrepresented, McCarthy told magistrates: “I have nothing to say.”

However, she did add that she had been “in and out of hospital and in and out of being arrested” around the time of her offence.

“There was a lot going on at the time,” she said.

Magistrates handed her an additional 12-month driving disqualification.

She was also fined £120, and will pay £50 in court costs and a £48 victim surcharge.