Katie Price told police “I took drugs, I should not be driving, I admit it all”, a court has heard, as she pleaded guilty to drink-driving while disqualified and without insurance following a crash near her home in Sussex.
The former glamour model, 43, appeared at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday following the collision on the B2135 near Partridge Green on Tuesday morning.
She was charged with driving while unfit to drive through drink, using a motor vehicle on a public place without third party insurance and driving while disqualified.
Price appeared in the dock before two magistrates.
After being confronted by police at the scene, Price was heard saying “I took drugs, I should not be driving, I admit it all”, the court heard.
A drugs wipe gave a positive reading for cocaine, prosecutor Debbie Jones said.
An image shared by police from the scene on Tuesday showed a car flipped on its side.
Officers responded to the crash at around 6.20am, where Price was arrested on suspicion of driving while above the legal limit for alcohol and drugs, and was taken to hospital.
Defence solicitor Joe Harrington said: “She has had a lot of personal problems recently.
“Currently she is in the process of bankruptcy proceedings so her house may be repossessed.
“So quite a lot going on in this lady’s life, a really difficult period.”
Mr Harrington argued that the driving was a “one-off” incident.
He added: “As I understand it she had been drinking, she was lonely and she decided to go and see a friend who lived a relatively short distance away and that is when the incident happened.”
He asked magistrates to defer the sentencing for several weeks.
Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Monday, Price said she is banned from driving until the end of the year.
Discussing her disabled son Harvey, 19, she said: “Harvey’s in Cheltenham now.
“He keeps ringing me saying, ‘mummy I miss you, I need kisses and cuddles’, so it is quite hard because obviously I don’t get my licence back until December, so I can’t just whizz in the car down there and it’s not close.”
The two magistrates, including chair of the bench Julie Hutton, rose to consider their decision.
Price was then told that her sentence would be deferred until December 15 on the condition that she have treatment at the Priory centre, not commit any further offences, and be banned from driving in the interim.
She was told she must also engage with the probation service so a report can be prepared.
Ms Hutton told her: “On that basis, Ms Price, you are free to go and good luck at the Priory.”
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