3 days ago
Crufts-winning trainer who fed dog steak & salmon banned from driving for two years
The conviction could have an impact on her job
OFF THE ROAD Crufts-winning trainer who fed dog steak & salmon banned from driving for two years
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A DOG trainer who boasted about giving her pet a pampered lifestyle has been banned from driving for two years.
Julia Ashton, 59, who has won awards at dog shows including Crufts, told how she had a lifelong love of animals.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
She revealed her pug Mr Darcy feasted on steak, organic chicken and salmon and had a wardrobe of designer clothes.
Ashton, of Newmilns, Ayrshire, was nabbed by traffic cameras as she drove her Mercedes Benz e-Class car through roadworks on the M74 near Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire.
She was found to have been been the wheel while disqualified and having no insurance in December last year.
Sheriff Siobhan Connelly gave her a two-year driving ban and placed her under supervision for a year at Lanark Sheriff Court.
A hearing was told that the conviction could have an impact on her job.
Alanah Campbell, defending, said: "She is a self-employed dog trainer and is likely to lose her employment as a result of this.
"It is unlikely that this will be repeated again in the future and she understands that she will be disqualified from driving for a long period of time."
Sheriff Connelly told Ashton: "Your driving record causes me concern and it is a matter of concern that you did not adhere to the rules and drove.
"Holding a driving licence is a privilege and you need to comply with road traffic regulations.
"Given the nature of the offence the appropriate disqualification period is three years but I will modify that to two years."
A charge which alleged she had been speeding on the motorway was dropped by prosecutors.
Ashton had earlier told how she spoiled her pet.
She said: "Mr Darcy is certainly up there with the most pampered pets in Scotland.
'He gets plenty of steak, plenty of exercise, plenty of attention - what more could a dog ask for? I've had dogs all my life.
1
Julia Ashton outside Lanark Sheriff Court
"I grew up with a menagerie of animals, from rabbits and ponies to cats, chickens and guinea pigs.
"I'm very used to having pets around and knowing how they like to be treated. People sometimes laugh at the life of luxury Mr Darcy has but having a dog is a serious matter."
