Medic drank bottle of wine for breakfast then caught behind the wheel

A consultant anaesthetist has admitted being caught drunk at the wheel – just eight weeks after her was licence returned from a previous drink-driving ban. Dr Helen Butterfield, 55, downed a bottle of wine for breakfast before 9am then drove from her Cheshire home to meet a friend for lunch on January 21st this year.

But she was reported to police after being spotted drunkenly pulling over by a nearby animal rescue centre to call her friend to cancel and getting the Nissan Qashqai stuck on a grass verge. Inquiries revealed Butterfield – who works at a leading neurology and neurosurgery hospital – was disqualified from driving for two years in May 2023 when caught almost three times over the alcohol limit in a BMW.

Dr Butterfield later went on a drink-driving awareness course and got her licence back early as the course slashed the ban by 24 weeks.

At Warrington Magistrates Court Butterfield, of Thelwall, admitted drink driving and given a 12-month community order after claiming she had was a recovering alcoholic who suffered a “relapse” due to her ongoing divorce, the loss of her family home in Lymm and her daughter’s mental health issues.

She now faces fresh disciplinary action from the General Medical Council after she was given a warning in November 2023 over her first driving ban.

Magistrate chair Carol Westley told her: “We are not going to offer you the drink drive awareness course to reduce the ban as it had no effect the last time. You were only two months getting your licence back.”

Speaking from the dock Butterfield said: “The addiction has been very destructive and I hope to move forward.”

Butterfield, who qualified in 1993 has worked at the specialist hospital Walton Centre on Merseyside since 2004, where her areas of expertise included anaesthesia for spinal and scoliosis surgery.

This latest incident occurred in January 2025 when police were called to the Cheshire Dogs Home by staff after Butterfield stopped by. Tests showed Butterfield had 92 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35mg.

Prosecutor Lynne Sayers said: “The vehicle was seen to stall a few times before the defendant tried to reverse back and went onto the kerb area and into a ditch.

“She went into the dogs’ home to ask for assistance and for a lift, they have smelt alcohol and then telephoned police. She tested positive at the roadside and co-operated fully.

”She was interviewed in relation to this matter and her account is that she drank a bottle of wine between 7am and 9am. She was off work that day. She realised at 1pm that she had a lunchtime appointment with a friend and sets off driving.

”She says she realised she was driving over the limit and that is why she stopped at the Cheshire Dogs Home to ask someone to give her lift. She was asked if she had a problem with alcohol and she did admit it frankly. She said was having help for that.

”The defendant has one conviction for the same offence from 2023 for which she received a 12 month community order and a two-year ban and unpaid work. This is a serious matter. It is the second offence in 10 years.”

Clare Roach, defending, said her client was undergoing a “continuing care plan involving multiple sessions and therapies” to curb her temptation to drink.

She added: “This was a very impulsive decision by the defendant to get into the vehicle and drive rather than lose face with her friend and cancel the appointment.

“It is only to her credit she realised this is the wrong thing to do and went to the dog’s home where she was going to contact the friend to say she had been driving and made a foolish decision.

“She went into a small ditch, goes into the local area dogs’ home and asks for some assistance and the police were contacted.

“She gave full and frank admissions at the scene, full and frank admissions in police interview, and full and frank admissions at the first appearance of the court.

“This is a lady of high influence, a lady with a very substantial educated background, that has held down a high position of responsibility in terms of her career.

“But in 2019 she lost her father and went straight through Covid without fully mourning the loss of her father. Embroiled in the pandemic she had to be in work for 12 hour, constant back-to-back shifts.

“Everyone knows the effect on the NHS – unfortunately, the defendant was on the front line of that point. She also had to deal with the worries of her daughter suffering from extreme mental health issues and her marriage being on the rocks.”

Her lawyer added: “Alcohol during this time was a go to and soon became a problem for her to the point of her first offence for drink driving but she completed the driver disqualification with no penalties.

“She remained sober and funded herself through the care she needed. Everything was going well until January of this year when she went through a relapse due to the pressures of her divorce and the loss of the family home.

“If you are considering a custodial sentence due to the aggravating feature it will be detrimental to the recovery that she has made thus far. It will also be detrimental to her employment – she will not be allowed to go back to that field.”

Butterfield was also fined £351, ordered to pay £225 in costs and surcharge and was banned from driving for 40 months. She was further ordered to complete a six-month alcohol treatment programme and five rehabilitation activity days.

The Walton Centre is the UK’s only specialist hospital trust dedicated to providing comprehensive neurology, neurosurgery, spinal and pain management services.