Drink-drive police officer gets suspended sentence

A former police officer who was on duty when she was found in a car while more than three-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit has been given a suspended jail term.

Lauren Payne, of Sutherland Close, Romsey, was found to have 123 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath on 17 January while in the car on the A303 in Popham. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

Payne was given a 10-week prison term, suspended for 12 months, at Reading Magistrates' Court.

The 27-year-old former police constable, who quit Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary following her offending, was banned from driving for 30 months and told to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

Her driving ban is backdated to February, when she admitted drink-driving, and will be cut by 36 weeks if she completes a driving course by November 2026.

Payne was also told to pay a victim surcharge of £154 and £85 in costs.

A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary panel previously ordered that Payne be placed on the College of Policing's barred list for five years.

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