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BBC NEWS today

Newsreader sacked as magistrate
Newsreader Carol Barnes has been sacked as a magistrate after being found guilty of drink driving.

Ms Barnes, who now works on the ITV News Channel, has been removed from the bench by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, for 10 years.

She was stopped near Brighton in September 2004 on suspicion of speeding and was found to be over the limit.

The case followed the death of her daughter Clare, 24, in a parachute accident in Australia last year.

According to the Department of Constitutional Affairs, Lord Falconer accepted that Ms Barnes had been under great stress following her daughter's death.

However, a spokesman for the DCA said that the Lord Chancellor had no choice but to remove her from the bench. "A motoring disqualification would generally bar appointment as a magistrate," he said.

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An end to a very sad year for her.

As an observation she was stopped for speeding then tested for drink. A scamera would not of course have detected drink.

Reported alchol level stated elsewhere as 103mg some 25% above the 80 mg limit. The extra 23mg is equivalent to 1/2 a pint I believe or is it 1/4 pint?

There is pressure in Govt to cut limit to 50mg.

I cant help but feel she has been harshly dealt with under the circumstances.[/i]