A REPEAT Greenock drug-drive offender has been told by a sheriff that she is in 'the last chance saloon' and could 'easily' be sent to prison.

Samantha Jewell, 33, was spotted 'slumped over the wheel of a car' after a concerned member of the public alerted police. 

Jewell, of The Esplanade, was recently banned from the roads for 39 months for a similar offence. 

Now Sheriff James Varney has told the multiple offender: "This is easily custody."

Jewell committed the offence on May 11, 2021 - prior to the incident for which she received her current roads ban. 

A procurator fiscal depute told the sheriff court: "Police attended and observed a vehicle driving towards them. It turned into a car park and pulled into a parking bay.

"Police followed and attended at the vehicle and observed the accused in the driver's seat. There was no-one else within the car.

READ MORE: Drugged-up 4am driver who swerved across lanes in Greenock spared prison

"The accused appeared under the influence, she was slurring her words and her eyes were glazed over.

"She said she took prescribed medication the night before and that was all she had taken."

Additional police officers turned up at the scene and carried out a breath test which gave a reading of zero for alcohol, however, Jewell was still slurring her words, the prosecutor said.

She was arrested and taken to Greenock police office where she was searched and a wrap containing white powder was recovered.

Her solicitor Bob Mitchell told the court: "She went through a fairly tragic period which resulted in her resorting to drugs.

"Her father has very real concerns over her mental health.

"There was this relatively short period of her life where essentially everything went wrong."

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The Telegraph told previously how Jewell was spotted swerving 'erratically' across lanes in the town in the early hours of the morning.

She was found to have 'dilated pupils, slurred speech and was acting drowsy' on March 28 last year and was sentenced to a community payback order as a direct alternative to custody.

She was placed under the supervision of the criminal justice social work department for 12 months with a drug treatment requirement, while a 20-week electronic tagging nighttime curfew was also imposed.

Sheriff James Varney told Jewell, of The Esplanade: "It is fair to say you are in the last chance saloon here.

"This is easily custody.

"You are going to need to work an awful lot harder in relation to these orders.

"If any of the reports come back negative I will have no difficulty imposing a custodial sentence.

"You have had every chance."

Sentence has been deferred until August 23 for Jewell to be of good behaviour and for further background reports to be prepared.