A consultant anaesthetist who downed wine for breakfast before mounting a grass verge and getting her car stuck in a ditch has been handed another driving ban.
Dr Helen Butterfield, 55, of Thelwall, Cheshire, faces being struck off after she was arrested only eight weeks after her licence was returned following a previous drink-driving ban.
In January this year, the mother-of-two guzzled a bottle of wine at her £1million family home before getting behind the wheel to meet a friend for lunch.
After repeatedly stalling her Nissan Qashqai, Butterfield then reversed into a ditch. Police were called when she walked into a nearby animal rescue centre to ask for assistance, smelling of alcohol.
A breathalyser test revealed she was two-and-a-half times the limit, of 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath.
Butterfield, who works at leading neurology and neurosurgery hospital Walton Centre in Liverpool, was banned from driving for 40 months.
She was also fined £351, ordered to pay £225 in costs and surcharge and told to complete a six-month alcohol treatment programme and five rehabilitation activity days.
Speaking from the dock, Butterfield said: ‘The addiction has been very destructive and I hope to move forward.’
Dr Helen Butterfield (pictured), of Thelwall, Cheshire, only got her licence back eight weeks ago after receiving a two-year driving ban in May 2023, also for drink driving
The mother-of-two (pictured) drank a bottle of wine for breakfast before driving away from her £1million family home to meet a friend for lunch
She was reported to police after she was spotted drunkenly pulling over outside a nearby animal rescue centre to call her friend to cancel
The doctor had got her licence back early after completing a drink driving awareness course following her former offence – which slashed her driving ban by 24 weeks.
On that previous occasion, she had been three times the alcohol limit behind the wheel of a BMW.
When she appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court for that former offence, Butterfield had faced up to six months in jail after admitting drink driving.
But she was handed a 12-month community order and offered the drink driving awareness course instead.
This came after she claimed she was a recovering alcoholic who had suffered a ‘relapse’ due to her ongoing divorce, the loss of her home and her daughter’s mental health issues.
The consultant was given a warning by the General Medical Council in November 2023 over that earlier drink driving ban – but she now faces fresh disciplinary action from the public body.
Butterfield’s defence lawyer, Claire Roach, pointed out that after her previous offence: ‘She remained sober and funded herself through the care she needed.
Speaking from the dock, Butterfield (pictured) said: ‘The addiction has been very destructive and I hope to move forward’
‘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.’
Ms Roach urged the judge not to consider a custodial sentence as it would be ‘detrimental’ to her recovery and employment, leaving her unable to enter her field of work.
She said a driving ban would be ‘the biggest punishment’ as it would hugely impact her ability to complete her 2.5-hour commute to and from work.
Butterfield, who qualified in 1993, has worked at the specialist Walton Centre hospital in Liverpool since 2004.
Her areas of expertise include anaesthesia for spinal and scoliosis surgery and colleagues at the institution had described her as an ‘inspiration’.
Her latest drink driving incident, which occurred on January 21 this year, saw police called by staff at the Cheshire Dogs Home in Butterfield’s village of Thelwall, where she had pulled over.
Lynne Sayers, prosecuting against Butterfield, 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.
Butterfield (pictured), who qualified in 1993, has worked at the specialist Walton Centre hospital in Liverpool since 2004
‘She tested positive at the roadside and co-operated fully.’
Tests showed Butterfield had 92 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – 57mcg over the legal limit of 35mcg.
Ms Sayers continued: ‘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.’
She pointed to Butterfield’s conviction for the same offence in 2023: ‘This is a serious matter. It is the second offence in ten years.’
In mitigation, the 55-year-old’s lawyer Ms Roach said her client was undergoing a ‘continuing care plan involving multiple sessions and therapies’ to curb her temptation to drink.
Tests showed Butterfield had 92 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – 57mcg over the legal limit of 35mcg
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 that she realised that this is the wrong thing to do and she went to the dog’s home where she was going to contact the friend to say that 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.’
Ms Roach said: ‘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 she also pointed out recent developments in Butterfield’s life that had turned her towards drinking: ‘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 frontline of that point.
Butterfield, who works at leading neurology and neurosurgery hospital Walton Centre in Liverpool, was banned from driving for 40 months.
‘She also had to deal with the worries of her daughter suffering from extreme mental health issues and her marriage being on the rocks.
‘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.
‘I would ask that you refrain from a custodial sentence – the biggest punishment is the ban.
‘It is a two-and-a-half-hour commute daily to and from work although she understands that is part of her punishment period.
Butterfield is seen in her tennis outfit after a match with a friend. She has been banned from driving
‘She is not someone who has buried their head in the sand.’
JP 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.’
The Walton Centre is the UK’s only specialist hospital trust dedicated to providing comprehensive neurology, neurosurgery, spinal and pain management services.