Woman sentenced for travelling the wrong way on A14 near Ipswich

A woman from Oxfordshire has been given a suspended prison sentence after causing a collision on the A14 near Ipswich, where she drove on the wrong carriageway whilst under the influence of alcohol last year.

Allison Lefebvre, aged 59 and from Hawksmead in Bicester, appeared before Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 23 June, where she was handed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 24 months.

Lefebvre was also disqualified from driving for 28 months and will have to take an extended retest. She was also given a 10-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and ordered to pay £400 in compensation to the victim, £187 victim surcharge and £85 in costs.

Lefebvre had pleaded guilty to the following two offences at a previous court hearing on Monday 1 June: dangerous driving and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

Police were called at just after 8.30pm on Wednesday 17 December, to reports of a collision on the westbound carriageway of the A14 between Sproughton and Whitehouse.

A white Mini One was reported to have been driving eastbound on the westbound carriageway and was then involved in a collision with a Peugeot 208. An HGV was also damaged in the incident.

Officers attended and Lefebvre was found to have been driving the Mini One. She failed a roadside breath test, providing a reading of 96 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. This was almost three times the legal limit of 35mg in 100ml of breath.

Lefebvre was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drink-driving but was then taken to hospital for a check-up, where she was asked to provide a specimen of blood for analysis which she refused to consent to. She remained in hospital for several days for treatment.

The driver of the Peugeot – a girl in her teens - was also taken to hospital for a check-up. She stated in her witness statement that she has suffered with chronic back pain since the collision and it has also caused her to suffer with anxiety, trouble sleeping and has made her fearful of driving on dual carriageways.  

PC Regan Bradshaw, of the Roads and Armed Policing Team, said: “This was an incredibly dangerous incident that could have had a very different outcome and it is extremely fortunate that no one was killed or seriously injured.

“Allison Lefebvre made decisions that day that put her life and the lives of others at risk. I can only image the horror of the drivers of the other vehicles involved in the collision as they saw a car coming towards them on their side of the dual carriageway.

“The driver of the Peugeot continues to feel the physical and psychological impact of the collision. It caused her to be off work for two months and has severely affected how she goes about her day-to-day life.

“Roads policing officers have seen all too often the devasting impact caused by reckless actions such as drink-driving and dangerous driving. We will continue to raise awareness of these offences – and others that cause the most harm – and not relent in our work to make our roads safer for everyone.”