Picture: YouTube

Former soap actress Amanda Mealing crashed her car while high on cocaine, a court was told.

The Casualty and Holby star drifted across a road near Stamford in Lincolnshire.

Her Mini Cooper ploughed into a car being driven by nurse Mark Le Sage.

Boston Magistrates’ Court heard Mr Le Sage was seriously injured in the crash.

Mealing broke her wrist and collar bone.

Mealing, in court under her married name of Amanda Sainsbury, admitted driving without due care and attention while under the influence of cocaine.

She was banned from driving for 22 months and ordered to pay a fine of £485.

Mealing was nearly five times over the legal limit for benzoylecgonine – a chemical the body creates when processing cocaine.

She had 240 micrograms of it in her blood. The legal limit is 50mcg.

Further tests showed she also had 18 micrograms of cocaine in her blood, almost twice the legal limit of 10 micrograms.

The court case hearing was reported by the Spalding and South Holland Voice newspaper.

Prosecutor Marie Stace said Mr Le Sage recalled “an explosion and his car began to spin”.

She added: “He started to panic, the car was full of smoke and he couldn’t get out because his foot was stuck under the pedal.

“He did get out and was assessed by a paramedic who said he needed to go to hospital.

“There was a witness following the Mini, who said he assumed there was something in the road because it went on to the other side of the carriageway.

“Ms Stace said that in a police interview, Mealing admitted taking cocaine the night before.”

In a victim impact statement, which he read out in court, Mr Le Sage said that since the accident he could not continue his job as a theatre nurse because his fine motor skills have been severely affected.

Mealing left Casualty in March 2021 after seven years.

Her solicitor, Edward Lloyd

He said: “In terms of the offence, my client pleaded guilty to drug-driving at the very first opportunity.

“It’s something she’s deeply ashamed of.

“She’s not somebody who takes drugs at all. Her brother died of a drugs overdose when he was 18 and she says herself that she should have known better.”

She had been driving back from visiting a friend’s house, where she had been staying, and was yards away from her front door when the accident happened.

Her lawyer said: “She simply doesn’t know what happened, she suspects that she was unconscious.”

Speaking after the hearing Mr Le Sage said:

“I’m glad it’s over for my family and I’m so lucky and grateful for their support over what has been a very difficult time.

“I hope the Sainsbury family can now also get on with their lives.”