Driving ban for woman who crashed husband’s Ferrari

A woman from Melrose has been banned from driving for a year after pleading guilty to crashing her husband’s £160,000 Ferrari while over the drink drive limit.

Claire Taddei, 47, admitted to being more than twice the legal limit when she crashed into a parked car in Market Square, Melrose, just after midnight on 23 February.

Selkirk Sheriff Court heard that Taddei, a chief financial officer, took the “silly” decision to drive her husband’s car in a bid to help a friend who was so intoxicated she could not walk home.

Not guilty pleas to charges of failing to stop and give her details, and a failure to report the incident to police were accepted by the Crown. Taddei was also fined £900.

The court was told Taddei was found to have 138mg of alcohol in 100ml of urine. The legal limit it 67mg/100ml.

She had been out celebrating a work promotion with a friend on the night the incident happened, the court heard.

After failing to secure help despite calls to family and friends, Taddei decided to leave her friend in the recovery position and took what she said was a “silly” decision to return to her house and get her husband’s car.

She said that she was not used to driving the Ferrari 458, lost control of it as she drove into the town square, and crashed into parked vehicles.

The Sheriff noted her unblemished record and early guilty plea and imposed a 12 month disqualification to be reduced on completion of a drink driver rehabilitation course.