Former Coronation Street actress banned from road after drunken struggle in Ken's Garage forecourt
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A TROUBLED former television and film star struggled with staff at a north filling station after they removed the ignition keys from her camper van, amid fears she was intoxicated, a court heard.
Actress Imogen Boorman (45), of Kindeace, Invergordon - who has appeared in Casualty and Coronation Street - had two children in the camper van when she drove onto the forecourt of Ken’s Garage, Kildary, at around 8pm on Thursday, June 2.
She went into the shop and bought alcohol, Tain Sheriff Court was told today.
Procurator fiscal Stewart MacIver said: “Staff at the garage referred to were aware of her pulling into the forecourt off the adjacent main road in a camper van. Two children were seated in the rear of the van.
“She went into the shop and bought alcohol. She seemed to be confused and attempted to pay for her purchase a second time which drew staff’s attention to her.
“Staff decided to intervene and one went over and removed the vehicle keys from the ignition to prevent her driving off.
“There was a struggle as she tried to get the keys back and police were contacted.”
Tests showed Boorman to have 81 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, more than three times the legal limit of 22 in 100.
She admitted a drink-drive charge and the court was told she had an analogous conviction dating back around ten years.
Defence agent Eilidh MacDonald said: “She is a lady who has been struggling with an alcohol problem all of her adult life. Mostly she deals with the problem as best she can but occasionally she does lapse and this was one of these occasions. She had suffered a period of stress and tiredness and she lapsed.”
Ms MacDonald said Boorman, a single mother, had a small amount of savings reserved to repair the roof of her home and could pay a financial penalty.
Sheriff Chris Dickson banned her from the road for two years and imposed a £400 fine.
He said: “You have clearly got an issue with alcohol and it is of concern that there were children in the car and you were driving. The garage staff took the appropriate action.”
Boorman starred in the suspense horror Hellbound:Hellraiser 2 and the sci-fi movie The Tripods.
She has also had parts in hit TV series including A Touch of Frost, Lovejoy and soaps Coronation Street and Casualty where her role was Nikki Wyatt.
Boorman hit the headlines in 2006 when she appeared in the same court to admit struggling with ambulance staff at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
An ambulance had been called to her home at Kindeace by her boyfriend after she accidentally cut herself with a wine glass. But she shouted and swore at police and medical staff who were trying to help her.
In another incident she was given probation and community service for resisting arrest and struggling with police at her home in November 2007.
And in 2011 she pleaded guilty to being in charge of a child and wilfully exposing the child in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury while she was intoxicated with alcohol or drugs.
At that court, she was ordered to carry out 120 hours community service and put on probation for two years with a condition that she undertook drug alcohol treatment and counselling.
