A 21-year-old woman, identified as Madison Boscoe-Hough, was discovered unconscious behind the wheel of an Audi A1 in Widnes, Cheshire, with the engine running and a deflated balloon in her mouth. When police officers responded to the incident on August 2, Boscoe-Hough was incoherent but started to regain consciousness. She had an empty balloon in her mouth and a canister on her lap. Following a roadside drug test, she tested positive for cocaine.
The authorities were alerted by a concerned motorist who had been following Boscoe-Hough on Wilmere Lane in Widnes. Blood tests later revealed that she had 68 micrograms of benzoylecgonine (BZE) per liter of blood, exceeding the legal limit of 50mcg/l. Boscoe-Hough, a resident of Sutton Leach near St Helens, pleaded guilty to drug driving. She was subsequently banned from driving for 20 months, fined £346, and ordered to pay costs and a surcharge.
During the court proceedings, Boscoe-Hough admitted to the events with minimal elaboration. The chair of the bench, Ian Johnstone, criticized her actions, stating that being unconscious with the engine running and the car in gear was completely reckless.
Despite being unrepresented in court, Boscoe-Hough acknowledged the accuracy of the events that transpired. She was found in a concerning state by the anonymous passer-by and later tested positive for cocaine following the incident. The court considered her behavior while driving as highly irresponsible and imposed a driving ban and financial penalties as a consequence.