An Edmonton woman who tried to run over her ex-husband while impaired, rammed his vehicle and drove into the front door of his shop was fined $3,150 on Wednesday.

Vanessa Renee Whiteman, 38, was also banned from driving for one year after earlier pleading guilty to charges of assault with a weapon, failing to remain at the scene of an accident and impaired driving.

“Using your vehicle to try to hit your husband was incredibly dangerous,” said Provincial Court Judge Susan Richardson. “This was a concerted effort over a period of time to cause harm to him.”

Richardson rejected the Crown’s call for a four-to-six-month jail term after hearing Whiteman — a mother of five and grandmother of two — has three children at home and she has since taken counselling for substance abuse and anger management and continues to see a psychiatrist.

The judge noted Whiteman will lose her cleaning job as a result of the loss of her driver’s licence, but said her actions needed to be denounced and a message had to be sent to those who, in a drunken state, decide to get back at former partners by trying to run them down with a car.

Crown prosecutor Kevin Komosky said Whiteman had driven to a south-side autobody shop where ex-husband Jose Martinez was working on Feb. 28, 2012, about 8:30 p.m. and hit the building with her Ford Freestar minivan.

Martinez came out, the two spoke and Whiteman took offence at something Martinez had said, court heard.

Whiteman then “chased” Mr. Martinez down an alley and “tried to hit him with her vehicle,” said Komosky.

Martinez then jumped into his vehicle and Whiteman began ramming it and he then fled back towards the shop with her in pursuit, said Komosky, adding Whiteman then drove into the building’s metal-framed glass door.

Court heard Martinez ended up running down the street and getting “refuge” in the home of a concerned witness.

About six hours later, police spotted the damaged minivan and pulled Whiteman over. After noting her breath smelled of booze, she was charged with impaired driving.

When asked about the damage, Whiteman told officers she had hit a snowbank.

Defence lawyer Kathryn Quinlan told court Whiteman was suffering from emotional disturbances at the time, including the suicide of her son.

Whiteman, who doesn’t recall the incident due to her impairment, apologized for her actions.