A DRINK-DRIVER who damaged five cars when she got behind the wheel of her boyfriend’s hatchback has walked free from court.

Lisa Wallace tried to leave the scene of the multiple pile-up but was stopped by the owner of one of the written-off vehicles.

She left a trail of damage amounting to £10,000 after first hitting a lamppost and colliding with a parked BMW which set off “a domino effect” of bumps into other stationary cars and a garden wall.

Teesside Crown Court heard the 43-year-old was found to have 47 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

Judge Sean Morris gave her an eight-month suspended prison sentence, a driving ban of 18 months, and 100 hours of community work.

He told her: “You richly deserve to go to prison, and you would have been were it not for your three children.

“If you did go to prison, the state would have to step in for the few months you would spend inside.”

Wallace, of Eskdale Road, Hartlepool, admitted aggravated vehicle taking, criminal damage, excess alcohol and driving without insurance last August.

Damian Sabino, mitigating, said: “Her life fell apart when she discovered her partner was cheating on her.

“She had a breakdown, but has since sought help.”