Woman Nearly 4 Times Over Legal Blood-Alcohol Limit Fined After Police Find Her Asleep in Car at McDonald’s — With Burger on Chest

Police find an open can of cider, a half-empty wine bottle and a bottle of vodka in the vehicle of a drunk woman who fell asleep at McDonald’s with a burger on her chest. (Photo: Robi Pastores/Pexels)
A drunk woman is fined over $1,700 after police found her asleep in her car at a McDonald’s in Birmingham, England, with a burger on her chest and alcohol in her vehicle, reported The Mirror.
The 44-year-old woman, identified as Caroline Fahy, was almost four times over the legal blood-alcohol limit when officers found her asleep in her Nissan Juke, per The Mirror. According to reports, Fahy informed police she had only had “a couple of vodkas” the previous night.
Security camera footage showed Fahy driving through the fast-food restaurant’s drive-thru prior to being found asleep. According to Birmingham Live, she claimed that she did not intend to drive her car any further and was waiting for a friend to pick her up.
Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard that the event took place in July of last year when a member of the public observed Fahy and notified the police.
“Officers arrived and spoke to the woman,” said Prosecutor Shahid Rahman. “They noted the smell of alcohol. She was really upset, emotional and slurring her words.”
“She was sat in the driver’s seat and there were keys in her possession. There was an open can of cider in the front inside door pocket, along with a half-empty bottle of wine on the passenger seat and there was a bottle of vodka in a bag.”
After failing to show up for her trial on Friday, she was found guilty in her absence, per reports. The prosecutor emphasized that Fahy was charged with being drunk in charge of a motor vehicle and not drunk driving, according to Birmingham Live.
“On approach to the vehicle there was a strong smell of alcohol. I could instantly smell it,” PC K Shorish testified during the trial. “At that point Caroline was asleep in the driver’s side. I had to wake her up. There was a McDonald’s burger lying on her chest. I advised her to leave the car.”
“I took her into my marked police vehicle,” Shorish continued. “Inside her vehicle there was a can of open cider in the driver’s side door, a half-empty wine bottle and there was a bottle of vodka in the car that was opened. McDonald’s had CCTV of the vehicle in the drive-thru a few minutes earlier. I saw it was a blonde lady driving that vehicle but it wasn’t very clear.”
While Fahy had 10 points added to her license and was ordered to pay an equivalent of about $1,829.34 in court costs and fines, she was not banned from driving, Birmingham Live reported. After taking into account Fahy’s “previous good character and no other endorsements,” the court concluded that they had decided on the appropriate punishment, per the report.
In a similar event of intoxication and fast food, an “extremely drunk” man was arrested in February after police found him asleep behind the wheel at a Minnesota Arby’s drive-thru — just after ordering curly fries.
Read next:
During Arrest Over Public Drunkenness, Man Allegedly Hands Police Unused Crack Pipe
Here’s Why Some People Feel Sick After Drinking Gin
Here at Gin Raiders, we do more than write about current events in gin and spirits. We are the only media property reviewing gins and aggregating the scores and reviews of other significant voices in the gin world in one place. If you’re interested in getting a shot of gin in your morning email, sign up for our Deal of the Day newsletter.
This post may contain affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site. This helps support Gin Raiders at no additional cost to you.