Rosie's DUI Court Appearance

"Okay. Sorry for the delay," Ms Gale said, "like I say, it's always crazy busy on a Saturday morning."

She stood and appraised Rosie and picked the completed form up and began to flip through the completed answers.

"Ok. So what's going to happen now is that you and I are going to have a talk through some of the answers on your form and then we're going to do the physical examination which will help the court if they want to look at corporal punishment.

"I know this is counter intuitive, but it's in your interests that if you get a corporal punishment as sentence, it suits your body."

She sat down next to Rosie who was again looking like she might cry. Ms Gale paused, looking at Rosie, "Ok look. I want to be very clear, I'm not your friend. I don't want you to think that. However, as I said, it's far better for you that any punishment I advise is at least suitable. I also need to be clear that my advice to court is just that. It's advice. They don't have to follow it and sometimes they don't.

"Be also very clear, that a punishment is not going to be pleasant. That's the whole point of it. You are not going to like whatever you are sentenced to. My best advice is to co-operate as much as you can and get this whole sorry situation behind you and learn from it. Ok?"

Rosie couldn't fight it anymore. She began to cry. "Yes." she sobbed. She looked down at her hands in her lap and her hair fell over her face. "Will I go to prison?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know how much your solicitor told you about possible sentence. Because of how high your result was, the drink drive offence itself is almost so serious that the magistrates could consider a short stay in a minimum level prison at the worst case and then there's the no insurance to add on top of that. A minimum level prison is essentially a punishment centre which you are jailed in.

For cases like this, you would ordinarily be sentenced to a very short sentence of perhaps two weeks, but during that time, you can expect severe restraint and unpleasant punishment for rules infringement.

"Other options, apart from prison is a community based sentence such as work picking litter up or sweeping the streets, I think your case is too serious to warrant a fine so that leaves corporal punishment."

As Ms Gale talked, Rosie pulled her knees up and put her head down curling herself into a position as small as possible. Ms Gale continued, "The comparative advantage of corporal punishment for you is that it's going to be the quickest thing to get over and done with. But, clearly it's going to hurt and you've got two offences to be punished for.

"What do you do for your job?" Ms Gale asked.

Rosie sobbed out loud. "I'm a lecturer at university. If they find out about this, I'll get sacked for sure!"

"Mmm a position of trust and authority" Ms Gale mused out loud. She made a note on the form.

"Tell me what happened for you to have got yourself into this. I already know you have no previous criminal record. To be honest, I don't really understand." Ms Gale said, almost exasperated.

Privately, the Punishment Officer thought these cases the most tragic. A young professional who has everything going for them does something utterly stupid and their entire future suddenly sits in jeopardy. She often thought, but for that moment of making a stupid decision, it could be her sat there in a cell in last night's clothes facing career ruin and a punishment that could literally end up on any level depending on the whim of the magistrates.

"I've been so lonely while the lockdown has been on. I've been stuck in my flat with only my laptop for company. I don't even have a pet. I've just been working and doing remote lectures to a computer screen. When the girls invited me out, I jumped at the chance. I stupidly drove to the bar thinking I'd just have one.

"The girls weren't up for that though and there were two bottles of champagne on the table when I arrived. I decided that I could get a taxi home and stay at my friend's house."

"So how did you end up driving your car?" asked Ms Gale.

"When we left to get the taxi the bouncer on the door told me they'd changed the parking on the street over the road and at 8am the traffic wardens come around. Stacey said it would be ok. But of course that was totally stupid."

"Ok. And the insurance?" asked Ms Gale.

"I'd simply lost track of where I was up to. I have barely driven my car in three months. I just didn't realise." Rosie was aware that sounded pathetic, even to her own ears.

"That doesn't really answer it. Everyone has to keep track of their insurance. You're no different".

Rosie felt her stomach lurch. That was the most direct this woman had been and Rosie began to get a really bad feeling.

"Right. Can you stand up please" she instructed.

Rosie stood up and turned to look at Ms Gale.

"I need you to remove your dress to examine you".

"What!?" Rosie exclaimed. "I can't do that!"

"I understand that you don't want to do that, but it's not the same. I'm going to ask you once more. If you don't follow instructions I will simply leave you in the cell until we are returned to court. I can promise you that a report from me saying that you refused to cooperate will not improve your situation.

"Now. For the final time, please remove your dress"

Rosie glanced at the man in the cell opposite who had stood up and was openly watching her and to her next cell along where the woman was watching. Then back to Ms Gale who was looking at her expectantly. She thought about her options. Basically, don't take her dress off and feel the wrath of the court when she went back up. Or do as she was told and give this lot an eyeful, but be better off in the longer term. Hopefully.

She reached around to the zip. She could count on one hand the number of people who had seen her without clothes on. She was in fact, about to double it. She hated this. She couldn't bring herself to do it. She was embarrassed about her body. On the rare occasion she has been undressed in front of others, the lights were off and she was under the bed clothes.

"I'm sorry. I can't. What will I get if I don't?" she asked. She was openly crying now.

Ms Gale sighed, "50 strokes of the whip wouldn't be a surprise. Probably publicly. Or maybe a prison term."

"Oh god! Oh god! I can't!"

"Well. It's entirely up to you, but I don't have time for this. So it's now or never" replied Ms Gale calmly, standing up.

Rosie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It was going to be like ripping a plaster. As quickly as she could, she unzipped the dress and pulled it down and it was around her ankles leaving her in bra and knickers.

She used her hands to cover her plump stomach which was where she carried her excess weight. She hated her stomach, it wasn't huge, but she carried enough extra for it to wobble if she moved quickly.

Rosie's breasts were easily the most prominent feature. They weren't massive, but they were clearly in the larger than average.

The bra she was wearing was far from sexy. It was a simple plain white piece with no decorative features whatsoever.

"Ok. Remove your bra now" Ms Gale instructed Rosie.

Rosie just wanted the ground to open up in front of her, but she did. She reached around and undid the clasp and her large breasts were free. She felt the burning heat of shame in her face. Ms Gale could see the red spreading down her neck on onto her chest. It was clear that being naked was a punishment in itself for the woman before her. Gale made a note of that on the form too.

Rosie kept her eyes fixed to the ground. She wasn't looking, but knew the man was watching her. In fact, she was pretty sure she could now hear his breathing from across the corridor.

"Why are you trying to cover your stomach and not your breasts? Most women want to cover their breasts at this point." enquired Ms Gale.

Rosie wasn't even aware that she was. She quickly moved one arm to try to cover her breasts, but that provided inadequate cover for the mounds of flesh. Her breasts were without a doubt the feature of her body that she was most confident about. Her skin was pale anyway, but the skin was even paler over her boobs.

Despite their size, they were pert and had pale pink nipples surrounded by ever so slightly darker areolae which were both perfectly round. She abandoned the attempt to cover herself there and went back to the stomach.

"I don't like people to see my fat" mumbled Rosie.

Ms Gale made a note of her sensitivity around her stomach fat and moved on. "Ok, I'm afraid, somewhat inevitably, the knickers are going to have to come off now."

Rosie groaned. As Ms Gale had indicated, this had been inevitable but Rosie had been hoping beyond hope that the request wouldn't come by some miracle.

She put her thumbs into the waist band and began to slowly slide them down. Ms Gale cleared her throat impatiently and so Rosie took the same approach as quick is best and did the rest in a rapid movement. Her knickers sat around her ankles and her hand went directly to cover her vagina.

"Can you step onto the scales please? asked Ms Gale, without any comment about her knickers, her vagina or her pubic hair, which was sticking out from behind Rosie's hand.

Rosie couldn't quite square the humiliation of this situation in her mind, but she found herself obediently doing as she was asked. Or was it instructed? Rosie wasn't entirely clear. She hated the scale and would actively avoid them at home. She and Ms Gale looked down at the number that was far bigger than Rosie would have liked.

Ms Gale made another note. "How tall are you" she asked.

"Five foot, four inches" replied Rosie.

Ms Gale took a pocket calculator out. "Ok, so that's a BMI of 28 which makes you overweight".

Rosie thought she was already about as humiliated as she'd ever been before, but she'd now found a new low. The way the woman so matter of factly just stated that, made Rosie want to crawl into a small space somewhere and hide from the world. What she would give to be in her own bed hiding under the duvet right now.

"Ok, I need to take some measurements. Trust me, this goes a lot faster in a single position, but it's probably not going be your ideal. If you spread your legs wide and interlock your fingers on the back of your head while pushing your elbows back and your chest out, I'll be done in less than 5 minutes."

Rosie was absolutely sure she could hear the rapid breathing of the man in the next cell. She looked over in dismay. It was clear he had his hands in his pockets and it wasn't to keep them warm. He was obviously enjoying himself at her expense. She looked pleadingly at Ms Gale who gave her a look that may have been part impatience and part sympathy but she was clearly going to be no help.

She complied. Without a doubt, she had never felt so exposed in her entire life. Her position lifted her breasts and gave her no option to hide behind her hands at all.

Ms Gale approached her with a tape measure and went straight for the worst bit. She pulled the tape tight around her stomach in line with her tummy button. She made it a bit tighter so that the tap dug in slightly. "forty one inches" said Ms Gale as she noted the measurement. Rosie was pretty sure that had gone up since she last bought clothes. Tears were running silently down her cheeks.

Ms Gale did the same around her hips, around her chest below and above her breasts. her thighs, her upper and lower arms and her neck. She made notes of all the measurements.

"You're really not going to like this one. I'm going to pass the tape through your crotch, front to back" stated Ms Gale before she placed one hand above Rosie's pubic hair and pulled the tape tight backwards and deep into her pussy and up her butt crack.

Rosie gasped in surprise despite the warning. It was pretty uncomfortable and so horrible for this to be done at all, never mind by a stranger and standing naked in a prison cell.

"Twenty one and a half inches" declared Ms Gale. Rosie had no idea if that was good or bad or even by what standard she was being judged.

Ms Gale stood behind Rosie and pressed her fingers against Rosie's back for a moment examine a blemish on the prisoner's skin. She made another note.

"I now need you to lean forwards at the waist to allow your breasts to hang away from your body," instructed Ms Gale, "You will actually probably find it easier, to grip the bars for this bit."

So Rosie stepped forward and lent forward to grip the bars. Her breasts hung freely and swung slightly with the momentum of her body. She glanced down and could see the awful position of her stomach like that. It looked the fattest it had ever done.

She knew deep down, that in reality she wasn't actually what most people would call fat, but her lack of self esteem caused her to be ashamed and that's the area she was most ashamed of.

Ms Gale reached around from behind and measured around the base of each breast as they hung freely from her body. "12.5 inches each, that's on the larger side." said Ms Gale. She measured the length of Rosie's back from the bank of her neck to the top of her buttocks and then from the outer side of her left breast, across her back to the right breast.

Rosie couldn't imagine why all these measurements were necessary, but she was pretty sure it wasn't going to be good.

"Ok. I'm nearly done," declared Ms Gale. "You can stand up again now."

Rosie stood again. The man was moving his hands in his pocket and Rosie glared at him which had little or no effect. "Can I get dressed again please?" begged Rosie.

"Not yet I'm afraid. Won't be long though," said Ms Gale as she reached for the pincer device. "This is a skinfold calliper, it's used to measure body fat," she said as she gripped Rosie's belly fat in one hand and used the device to pinch the skin and take a measurement. Rosie screeched and leapt backwards, escaping the woman's grip.

"Is that a refusal to co-operate?" asked Ms Gale, sharply.

"Yes. Errrmmm, no. I'm sorry. Please don't do that, I can't stand it," cried Rosie.

"I need to do it on your stomach, your thighs, your breasts and your butt. Once I've done that, you're going to be ok to get dressed. Perhaps you'd be better gripping the bars again," suggested Ms Gale.

"Nooo" Rosie cried, "ok, I'll do it".

Ms Gale gripped Rosie's flesh again and the calliper pinched her skin painfully. She noted the measurement. She did the same at each location. Each time the pinch caused Rosie a bit of pain, but the embarrassment and humiliation was by far the worst thing.

"Ok. We're done. You can get dressed again" Ms Gale said as she sat down, making notes on the form.

Rosie grabbed her dress off the floor and pulled it over her head so fast in a bid to get covered that she realised too late that her bra wasn't on. The relief she felt at being covered was so great that there was absolutely no way she was planning to take the dress off again. She picked up her knickers and pulled them up her legs and slipped her shoes on.

Ms Gale was still sat on the bench making notes. Rosie didn't feel like she wanted to sit next to her, so she stood awkwardly in the centre of the cell. She looked at her bra and decided she was going to have to wear it back into court. She knew there was a way to get the bra on without removing her dress, but in the state her mind was, she couldn't work out how to do it.

As she was pondering this, Ms Gale finally spoke. "Ok then. Please sit down, I need to talk to you about options," she indicated the bench seat next to her.

Rosie took a breath and sat down.

"So. As I said, the level of alcohol in the test you provided puts that offence into the second highest category. This is, technically imprisonable. There is the aggravating factor that you drove to the bar in the first place and that you cut the corner which meant you clipped the curb.

"On top of all that, you are driving with no insurance too. It's for the magistrates to take all of this into account, but it's my belief that you simply forgetting to review your insurance is also an aggravating factor. That puts the insurance matter into the highest category for that offence, but no insurance is less serious than the drinking."

Rosie looked at the floor and wrung her hands together. She could tell this was going to be bad. She thought that prison was certainly in her immediate future.

"In your favour however," Ms Gale continued, "you have been compliant with the process from the start, you stopped promptly and you have been open and frank. Above all else, you have no previous criminal convictions."

Rosie's hopes raised slightly. She had no idea what this meant or where this left her. She glanced over at the man in the opposite cell, and found he had lost interest now that she was clothed again.

"The purpose of sentencing is to protect the public, prevent re-offending, rehabilitate where possible and to punish the offender. It is my estimation that you do not pose a high risk to society and that this matter can probably be dealt with without needing to resort to prison."

Rosie released her breath. She had no idea she'd been holding it.

"I do believe however, that the offences taken together, are too serious for standard community penalty such as litter picking. So this leaves us with a relatively severe corporal punishment or a less severe but more embarrassing punishment that is likely to involve some sort of public display."

Rosie couldn't tell where this was heading and indeed which would be worse. She didn't know what to think or what to say.

"As I've already said, I can only advise and recommend to the court and they may well not follow that advice except where I make an exclusion. In your case, I noted you have a prominent mole on your back which could be damaged under a whip. Therefore, I am going to exclude back whipping of any sort from the punishment."

Having never been so much as spanked by hand, Rosie had no idea if this was good news or not. She was aware that if not her back, the punishment had to be somewhere else. She had always hated the mole which was positioned just between her shoulder blades, but she was thinking on balance, she was probably now quite happy with it.

"This offence is a level 3 offence which if delivered by a caning would attract somewhere around the 25 to 35 strokes on the buttocks. We however have the aggravating factors to add on, so if the magistrates were minded, you could easily be looking at the maximum of fifty strokes. Are you following?"

"Yes, I think so, they're going to cane me"

"Not necessarily. There's other options and I'd be interested to hear your view. I can recommend a much less severe sentence in terms of pain, but in turn I would be recommending that the level of humiliation increases, so in likelihood it would be delivered in front of witnesses. How would you feel about that?"

"No. Please don't. That's awful. I couldn't do that".

"I'm going to give you ten minutes while I go and see my next offender. When I come back, I will ask for your views and then based on that, I'll make a recommendation to the magistrates, but they will make the final decision.

"As I said at the beginning, I'm here to balance your needs with those of ensuring you are punished severely enough that you don't end up here again. Don't mistake me for your friend. I don't want to mislead you."

With that, and with no further option for discussion, Ms Gale left the cell again.

Rosie's mind was in turmoil. Her breathing got faster and she felt hot. She leant back against the wall while she got herself under control.

How could she possibly make a choice like that. Caned! It felt like the word was bashing around inside her head, making it impossible to think of anything else. She wasn't sure she could survive five strokes of the cane and yet she was talking about fifty.