A DRUNK cop was found slumped over the wheel of her police car while on duty after downing almost an entire bottle of gin.
PC Lauren Payne was found to be nearly four times the legal drink-drive limit by a colleague while she was parked in a service station.
The 27-year-old, who was in uniform, stunk of alcohol and had a near-empty bottle of gin in her bag, Reading Magistrates' Court was told.
Payne sobbed as she avoided prison today after pleading guilty to drink driving whilst on duty.
She was instead handed a ten week sentence, suspended for one year, after the judge heard becoming a police officer was her dream job.
The court was told Payne had been sent to work from Aldershot Police Station in Hampshire due to staff shortages on January 17.
At around 3.30pm, she was released from her duties and informed her line manager she was on her way back to her usual area of Andover to finish her day.
But the force control room was concerned after receiving “inaudible communications” from Payne.
Colleagues went to Popham Services where they found the cop slumped over the wheel of her patrol car at 4.30pm – 30 minutes before her shift was due to end.
PC Claire Chivers, who investigated the incident, said officers initially believed Payne had suffered a “medical episode” but then smelt alcohol.
When she was breathalysed, Payne had 137 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath and she was arrested.
The court heard worked as a police staff investigator outside Southampton Central for four years until July 2024 when she became a police constable.
Charlotte Branfield, defending, said she had been involved in a car crash seven days before the incident.
She claimed Payne had suffered an extreme stress reaction and made the “fateful decision to open the bottle of gin and drink it”.
Ms Branfield added: “This is a very sad case of a young woman who has long suffered from mental health issues.
“It was a dream, in her words, to become a police officer, formed during her struggles as a teenager.
“She wanted to help people who were vulnerable and she felt the police force was the most effective way of doing that.”
Payne was sacked from Hampshire Police following a misconduct hearing.
She was placed on the College of Policing's Barred List for five years and has lost her driving licence.
District Judge Samuel Goozee accepted Payne was suffering from alcohol dependence and a deterioration in her mental health.
He ordered her to complete up to 15 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days, 150 hours of unpaid community work and an alcohol monitoring requirement for 120 days.
The judge said: “At the time of the offence you were endeavouring to access community-based support.
“You have made focused steps to address your alcohol dependency since you were arrested for this offence.”
