A DANGEROUS driver skipped her unpaid work placement, claiming she couldn’t attend because heavy rain the night before had spooked her dog.

Charlotte Finley was convicted in April after she reversed her car into the front of a parked taxi, before then narrowly missing the taxi driver as she reversed in to the car again.

Finley was sentenced to eight months, suspended for two years, for dangerous driving and criminal damage, and was banned from driving for a year. She was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Finley, 37, of St Dogmaels, returned to Swansea Crown Court for breaching the terms of her suspended sentence order.

Prosecutor Alexandra Wilson said that Finley had failed to attend appointments on May 2, October 10 and October 17.

Ms Wilson said Finley did provide medical evidence for her missed appointments in October, but this had not been provided within the required five days of the appointments.

The court heard that Finley contacted the probation service ahead of her unpaid work placement on May 2 and said “heavy rain the night before which had made her dog very anxious” meant that she “couldn’t” leave home.

Ms Wilson said the defendant was told that was not an acceptable reason for absence.

Following the medical evidence provided for the missed appointments in October, Ms Wilson said the probation service had reviewed the case and recommended that the order continues, rather than the suspended sentence be activated and Finley sent to prison.

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The court heard that the defendant had completed 52 hours and 45 minutes of unpaid work and six rehabilitation activity requirement days, and was assessed as showing “a clear motivation for wanting to engage” with the order.

Emily Bennett, in mitigation, said Finley had “experienced some significant challenges over the past few months”.

She added that the defendant had been having difficulty catching public transport from her home to the probation service in Haverfordwest, and added that she had now been reassigned to Cardigan instead.

“She wishes nothing more than to resume the order,” Ms Bennett said.

“I’m prepared to accept that overall there has been a high level of compliance,” said Judge Catherine Richards.

“That leads me to conclude that to activate the sentence would be unjust.”

Judge Richards fined Finley £60 for breaching her suspended sentence.