High flyer faces to ruin her career after being caught drink driving!

A high-flying Labour party barrister hailed as the 'next Cherie Blair' was facing career ruin today after she admitted causing a drink-driving smash.

Human rights lawyer Emily Lomax, 37, was three times the limit when her Nissan Micra ploughed into two other cars which had stopped at traffic lights.

It later emerged she had been drinking vodka and orange during the afternoon because she wanted to 'steel herself for a difficult phone call.' 

She couldn't even remember the collision itself which left one of the drivers with minor injuries.

After the accident, Lomax quit as Labour councillor for the Hulme area of Manchester.

She now faces a professional disciplinary hearing to decide if she can return to work at a law chambers in Manchester where her political beliefs and 'dynamic and fearless' advocacy style drew comparisons with the former prime minister's wife. At Manchester magistrates court Lomax, of Levenshulme, was fined £995 and banned from the roads for 21 months after admitting drink-driving.

The incident occurred on September 14 whilst Lomax - a member of Amnesty International, Liberty and the Haldane Society of Socialist lawyers - was on her way to a council meeting.

Sheila Graham, prosecuting, said the barrister approached a set of red traffic lights in Longsight but failed to stop in time and hit a Honda Accord and a Toyota Yaris.

Tests showed Lomax had 108 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 mililitres of breath with the legal limit being 35mg.

Lomax suffered minor facial injuries when her car airbag inflated on impact.

In mitigation, defence lawyer Mr Andrew Haworth said: 'She has suffered publicly as a punishment, had a reduction of income, loss of face and reputation and she is unable to practice anymore.

'In her professional life she will have to account for her actions, and account for why this has happened. She should know better and she accepts that. She will already receive more penalties than a defendant without Miss Lomax's background.

'She has to start again, she has lost everything, and she had a glittering career ahead of her.'  

Lomax told JPs: 'I am deeply ashamed at having committed this offence and it's going to be difficult to come back from in my professional life.

Passing sentence, Dr Adrian Curtis said: 'Driving with excess alcohol holds a community penalty and this will be high in your case.

'Your actions were reckless, negligent and a danger to the public.'  

Adapted from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1321506/Labour-barrister-Emily-Lomax-faces-career-ruin-drink-drive-shame.html#ixzz12uNusv84