A POLICE officer who served as an armed guard to Tony Blair is fighting to win her job back after being told to resign following a conviction for drink-driving.
Kay Nolan, 32, the first woman to be appointed to the Prime Minister's elite protection team in Sedgefield, was told to leave Durham Police following a disciplinary hearing.
Ms Nolan, of Brandon, County Durham, crashed her car into a lamppost after drinking heavily at a friend's barbecue in May.
A hearing before Sunderland magistrates in June heard that an officer went to her home, where she gave two positive breath tests. She was almost three times over the limit and had driven for only about 75 yards before crashing.
She admitted drink-driving and was banned for 18 months and fined £240, with £60 costs.
Her case will be heard at a Police Appeals Tribunal, the first to be held in Durham for more than five years.
Ms Nolan is expected to argue the offence followed a period of stress at work.
A Durham Police spokesman said: "We can confirm a woman officer was required to resign and the chief constable reviewed and upheld the decision. The matter is now in the hands of a police appeals tribunal."
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