Emmy-award winning film producer, 61, with credits on James Bond, Harry Potter and X-Men is banned from road for two years after crashing her BMW while three times over drink-drive limit
- Courtney Vanderslice-Law crashed her black BMW in Rowstock, Oxfordshire
- She worked on James Bond, Harry Potter and won an Emmy for Generation Kill
An Emmy-award winning filmmaker who worked on James Bond and Harry Potter movies has been banned from driving after crashing her car while nearly three times over the drink drive limit.
Courtney Vanderslice-Law, 61, crashed her black BMW 1 series in Rowstock, Oxfordshire, on the morning of July 25 last year.
She appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court yesterday using crutches following a serious fracture that nearly caused her foot to be amputated.
Vanderslice-Law, of Hounslow, west London, was fined £900 and banned from driving for two years, having earlier admitted driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
The court heard that the visual effects producer, who has credits on some of Hollywood’s biggest films of the past three decades, smelled of alcohol and had suffered injuries when police officers were called to the scene of the crash.
Courtney Vanderslice-Law, 61, crashed her black BMW 1 series in Rowstock, Oxfordshire, on the morning of July 25 last year
Vanderslice-Law’s credits include Spectre (pictured) and other blockbusters such as X-Men and Captain America
Breathalyser tests later showed that she had 98 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, almost three times the legal limit of 35mcgs.
Vanderslice-Law admitted having consumed alcohol the previous night, but said she felt fit to drive that morning.
She told the court she had been taking a number of different medications, which may have affected her body’s ability to process alcohol.
The hearing had been set down for a ‘special reasons’ argument to allow lawyers instructed by the film producer to put forward reasons as to why she should not be disqualified from driving.
But medical experts tasked with writing reports on how the medications would have affected her body’s ability to metabolise the alcohol had not yet been completed.
District Judge Kamlesh Rana was subsequently asked to adjourn the case until they were finished, but he refused, insisting it was not ‘in the interest of justice to do so’.
Vanderslice-Law had not been able to attend an earlier court hearing last year because she was in the US, the judge noted.
There had then been a ‘failure to instruct solicitors and experts with sufficient diligence’, leading to further delays in the case appearing in court.
District Judge Rana concluded there would be another ‘significant delay’ if she were to adjourn the case again.
She appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court (pictured) yesterday using crutches following a serious fracture that nearly caused her foot to be amputated
In mitigation, the court heard that Vanderslice-Law worked ‘very successfully in the film industry’.
She was a director at visual effects company Cinesite and worked as a producer on films including the James Bond and Harry Potter franchises.
Her credits also include X-Men, Captain America and Assassin’s Creed in a career spanning more than 25 years.
In 2009, she was part of a team that won an Emmy for the visual effects on Gulf War drama Generation Kill.
More recently, in February 2021, Vanderslice-Law suffered a Listfranc fracture in her foot and nearly lost her limb.
The foot was saved, but she had to underg five operations in order to repair the injury.
She still suffers from significant amounts of pain and appeared in the dock on crutches and wearing a surgical boot.
Vanderslice-Law had also suffered a number of family bereavements in recent years, the court heard.
She had no previous convictions prior to pleading guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol in October last year.
On top of a fine and driving ban, Vanderslice-Law was also ordered she pay £610 in costs and surcharge.
She was given the chance to reduce the length of her disqualification by completing a drink driver rehabilitation course.
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