Alcohol charity leader caught drink-driving and hiding from police in bush

An executive at an alcoholism charity was caught drink-driving and hiding in a bush by police.

Eliza Loftus, 26, was almost three times the legal limit when she crashed her car into a tree and fled into a bush in Middlewich, Cheshire.

She is marketing director and fundraising manager at Be Well Stay Well, which provides counseling for alcoholics and drug addicts in nearby Nantwich.

Ms Loftus was banned from driving for 40 months last Thursday when she pleaded guilty to drink-driving at Crewe Magistrates’ Court.

The court heard Ms Loftus was returning home from a night out at a pub on April 7 when her white Ford Ka crashed into a tree shortly after midnight.

Tara Thomas, prosecuting, told the court that when police arrived at the scene a member of the public told them Ms Loftus was hiding in a bush.

“The officer approached the bush, about 20 meters from the accident, and shouted ‘Police, get out’,” Ms Thomas said.

“A woman, who is the accused in court, appeared and said, ‘I’m sorry’.”

Ms Loftus, who was said to have been “unstable”, had 215mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood – almost three times the legal limit of 80mg.

Patrick Kelly, defending, told the court the defendant “lost control” while turning a corner after arguing with friends at the pub.

“Panic and nothing else”

“It is true that she was hiding behind a bush, but that was because of her panic and nothing else,” he said.

“When the police called her, she immediately came out.”

Mr Kelly added that Ms Loftus had turned to her own charity for help in response to the accident and that it would “never happen again”.

“She also works with the charity Be Well Stay Well, supporting people with addictive personalities or who have fallen into addiction,” he told the court.

“She has now turned to them herself and received help from them. »

The court heard Ms Loftus had two previous convictions for driving under the influence. She was convicted of drink driving in April 2022 and driving under the influence of cannabis the following month.

The court banned Ms Loftus from driving for 40 months and ordered her to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.

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