A WOMAN who drove the wrong way along the A66 near Keswick and deliberately into the path of an oncoming wagon has been handed a suspended jail term by a judge.
Westbound motorist Kathryn Clarke Yglecias, 48, travelled on to the eastbound carriageway in darkness just after 1-09am on October 20 last year.
Dash cam footage from an eastbound HGV showed Yglecias’s Citroen C1 drive into the path of the lorry.
Prosecutor Brendan Burke told Carlisle Crown Court that the wagon driver had performed an emergency stop to prevent the incident becoming more grave.
That driver and another passing motorist then went to assist American national Yglecias, who admitted an offence of dangerous driving after she was charged and brought to court.
Giving mitigation, her barrister, Kim Whittlestone, revealed: “She has no memory of this incident and received significant injuries for which she is still being treated.
“It appears it was a positive and deliberate act, which she accepts.”
Police also confirmed it appeared to have been a “suicide attempt”, said Mr Burke.
After hearing mitigation and reading psychiatric and probation service reports, Judge Julie Clemitson suspended a six-month jail term for a year.
Yglecias, of Long Corner Cottage, Grange, near Keswick, must also complete a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement, a 12-month driving ban and pass an extended re-test.
