Senior officer caught drink driving on Christmas Eve dismissed from PSNI

A senior police officer convicted over a drink-driving incident on Christmas Eve has been dismissed.

Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Superintendent Patricia Foy was fined and handed a driving disqualification when she appeared before a district judge at Lisburn Magistrates’ Court in January.

Ms Foy, 57, whose address was given as PSNI headquarters, was charged with driving with excess alcohol, failing to stop at a damage-only accident and driving without due care and attention.

The court heard that on December 24, at about 4pm, police were made aware of a damage-only road traffic collision in Lisburn, where a car had collided with a traffic light. Police also received a report about a car colliding with a parked car.

Officers observed the defendant walking from the vehicle to her home address where she failed an alcohol breath test and was arrested.

A lawyer for Ms Foy, who formerly headed the PSNI’s Professional Standards Division, said she regretted finding herself before the court and apologised for the incident.

On Friday, the PSNI confirmed the officer had been dismissed from the organisation following a disciplinary process.

A PSNI spokeswoman said: “An officer was dismissed on Friday March 10 from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, by the Chief Constable (Simon Byrne), following a criminal conviction.”