An Emmy-award winning filmmaker was caught almost three times over the drink-drive limit.
Courtney Vanderslice-Law, who as a visual effects producer has worked on some of Hollywood’s biggest films of the past three decades, was found in her black BMW 1 series after crashing in Rowstock on July 25 last year.
The 61-year-old was injured and, according to a police officer called to the crash on Newbury Road, there was a smell of alcohol on her breath.
READ MORE: Oxford court judge asks 'Do I look like a rubber stamp?'
Breathalyser tests later showed that she had 98mcgs of alcohol in 100ml of breath, almost three-times the legal limit of 35mcgs.
She appeared before Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (February 1), when her barrister asked the district judge to adjourn the case so scientific reports could be completed.
Vanderslice-Law was said to be taking a number of different medications, which may have affected her body’s ability to process alcohol.
Although she admitted having drunk alcohol the night before the crash, she felt fit to drive that morning.
Wednesday’s hearing had been set down for a ‘special reasons’ argument, so lawyers instructed by the film producer could put forward reasons why she should not be disqualified.
However, the medical experts tasked with writing reports on how the medications would have affected her body’s ability to metabolise alcohol had not yet been completed – and the judge was asked to adjourn the case until they were finished.
District Judge Kamlesh Rana refused to adjourn the case again, saying it was not ‘in the interest of justice to do so’.
Vanderslice-Law had not been able to attend the first court hearing last year as she was in the US, the judge noted.
There had then been a ‘failure to instruct solicitors and experts with sufficient diligence’, leading to delays.
And there would be further ‘significant delay’ if she were to adjourn the case again, District Judge Rana said.
In mitigation, the defendant was said to have previously worked ‘very successfully in the film industry’.
A director of visual effects company Cinesite, she was a producer on films in the James Bond and Harry Potter franchise.
In 2009, she was part of a team that won an Emmy for the visual effects on Gulf War drama Generation Kill.
In February 2021, she suffered a Listfranc fracture in her foot, resulting in the limb almost having to be amputated, the court heard. The foot was saved, but she had undergone five operations in order to repair the injury.
She still suffered from significant amounts of pain, it was said, and appeared in the dock on crutches and wearing a surgical boot.
The court heard Vanderslice-Law had also suffered a number of family bereavements in recent years.
Vanderslice-Law, of Hounslow, London, pleaded guilty in October to driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
She had no previous convictions.
The judge fined her £900, banned her from driving for two years and ordered she pay £610 in costs and surcharge.
The defendant was given the chance to reduce the length of her disqualification by completing a drink driver rehabilitation course.
Read more from this author
This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.
To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article