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A serving Ayrshire policewoman escaped jail despite a drink driving rampage, where she smashed her supercharged car into a roundabout.

PC Leigh Shaw was dragged before a sheriff in Kilmarnock last month after the crash, which happened as she was being followed by officers in the same division.

Despite writing off her £40,000 BMW M135i car, capable of doing 155mph, Shaw had a replacement blue Audi S3 hot hatch in her driveway, with the same private registration, when our sister paper the, Daily Record, knocked on her door.

At court she dodged jail, despite precedents where other public figures have been made examples of for less extreme offences.

She was banned from driving and tagged to remain in her home in Kilbirnie for seven weeks.

The officer is virtually certain to be sacked but has refused to resign as the disciplinary process advances.

(Image: screen grab)

She is understood to be suspended but Police Scotland has not confirmed any details of her offences or her disciplinary situation.

Shaw, who also uses her married name McCabe, was spotted driving her 320 horsepower car erratically near Beith on January 25.

As police followed the car, drunken Shaw accelerated away but lost control, hitting road signs and a bollard before crashing into the roundabout. She was later taken to hospital to be treated for injuries, believed to be to her chest area.

The driving charge was originally dangerous driving but was reduced to careless driving, despite the severity of the crash.

When Shaw was approached at Crosshouse Hospital by officers who work in the same division as her to give a breath sample, she refused, despite being fully aware this is regarded at least as seriously as being drunk behind the wheel.

A source said: “This woman wasn’t very popular in Saltcoats and a few colleagues were happy that she got caught.

“She had been on a night out in Paisley but she left the place drunk and decided to drive in any case.

“She ended up heading towards Beith, where police got on her tail and she smashed the car into a roundabout. People expected her to go to jail as the case is aggravated by her being a police officer.

“What kind of message is this sending out to the public? That you can drive a virtual racing car into a roundabout while drunk and get away with seven weeks on a tag? It’s a joke.

“Other people have been made examples of because they are public figures but she seems to have got off light because she is a police officer. That sentence doesn’t seem right.

“She also got her dangerous driving charge bargained down to careless driving – in what world is someone driving over the alcohol limit then smashing a car into road signs and a roundabout not dangerous?”

The source added: “It doesn’t say much about her contrition when the first thing she does is go out and buy a replacement supercar.

“She is effectively sticking her fingers up at the police and the public. Will she be back to her demon driving as soon as her ban is up?”

Shaw, 30, gave her address as the police’s Professional Standards Department in French Street, Glasgow, when she appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court.

She was banned from driving for 16 months and got a Community Payback Order with six months supervision, as well as a fine of £450.

The sheriff also ordered the officer to wear an electronic tag for seven weeks, with a curfew from 9pm to 6am.

Shaw, originally from Balfron, joined the police in 2004 after working as a PA for an accountancy firm.

Her LinkedIn profile states: “Experienced Police Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the law enforcement industry. Skilled in law enforcement, communication, event management, general office skills, and criminal investigations.”

When the Record tried to ask Shaw about her crimes she shut the door in our reporter’s face.

A police spokesperson said: “We are aware of the outcome of this case and a report will be made to the Deputy Chief Constable, People and Professionalism, for her consideration.”

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