Penistone Road: Woman caught driving with dog on lap along major Sheffield road is hit with hefty fine

Cristina Hoidrag was heading along Penistone Road in a Vauxhall Corsa when a police officer spotted a white, short curly haired dog ‘hanging out’ of the driver’s window. “It was sat or stood on the driver’s lap and had its head and front legs out,” a charge sheet submitted to Sheffield Magistrates’ Court states.

The charge sheet continues: “Due to our position in traffic I could not immediately intervene. However, as we drove onto Penistone Road I was able to get behind the vehicle. Whilst the vehicle was in motion the dog was still in the same position and was clearly an obstacle to steering and view of the driver.”

The 42-year-old, of Meynell Crescent, in Southey Green, Sheffield, was charged with driving while not in position to have proper control of the vehicle, following the incident on the afternoon of March 27, 2022, at 5.25pm.

The case was proved in her absence under the single justice procedure on October 19, 2022, and she was fined £220 and ordered to pay a £34 victim surcharge and £90 court costs. She was also given three penalty points on her licence.

The single justice procedure, under which cases can be decided by a magistrate without going to court, is designed to be a more efficient way of dealing with minor criminal offences. The case in question was decided in October last year but has only just been shared with The Star following a request to Sheffield Magistrates’ Court for information.