Flight attendant was four times over alcohol limit, court told

A Virgin Atlantic flight attendant reported for duty four times over the alcohol limit after crashing her car on the way to Heathrow, a court has heard.

On 12 June, Kathryn Scott, 44, from Ottershaw in Surrey, was removed from a plane going to Antigua via Barbados after drinking wine the night before.

The cabin crew member crashed her black Hyundai at a roundabout and had to be driven to work by a member of the public after leaving her car at the scene, Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court was told.

Ms Scott denied a single charge of performing an aviation function when over the alcohol limit and was bailed to appear at the same court for trial on 11 December.

After her crash was reported to the police, she was removed from the plane until officers arrived, the court heard.

Ms Scott said she had been in an accident and that she had had two glasses of wine eight hours before the flight.

A test showed she had 91mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, more than four times the 20mg legal limit for flight attendants in the UK.

Magistrates were told she had been diagnosed with a liver condition, which meant she may not be able to break down alcohol in the usual way.

She also blamed the crash on a fault with her car’s steering, the court heard.

Additional reporting from PA Media.