THE manager of internationally renowned artist McKenzie Thorpe's gallery has been banned from driving for two years after admitting being drunk at the wheel of her car.

Wendy Bowker, 42, a former prison officer who consults on the ITV series Bad Girls, manages his gallery in Richmond.

Last week she appeared at Northallerton Magistrates Court where she pleaded guilty to being more than two and a half times over the legal drink drive limit.

Prosecuting, Jane Cook told the court that police officers saw Miss Bowker 'staggering from one side of the pavement to the other' in Richmond Market Place at 11.50pm on December 18 last year.

Ten minutes later they heard a car alarm and went to investigate. They saw Miss Bowker reversing her silver MGF across Castle Hill road, stopping just before she hit the front of a shop.

She was arrested and taken to Northallerton police station, where it was found that she had 92mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35.

Mitigating, Peter Bradford said Miss Bowker, who lives at The Green, Richmond, had driven into the town for the night out, intending to get a taxi home.

He said that near the end of the evening she became hungry and bought a curry, which she decided to eat in her car.

While she was eating, he said, an unknown man approached the car and got in. She threw curry at him and he left.

Mr Bradford said: "She released the handbrake and effectively rolled backwards. The only reason she did that was because of the fact that this male had approached her car. That was the full extent of her driving.

"She would be anxious to stress that she has always been conscious and mindful of her responsibilities when it comes to drink-driving."

But chairman of the bench, Rosemary Dobson, banned her from driving for two years and ordered her to pay a £450 fine and £250 costs. She said: "Ninety two is a very high reading - almost two and a half times over the limit."