IT'S like something out of a movie or a twisted story on a Jerry Springer show. But for Jayne Morgan*, discovering her husband was having an affair with their daughter-in-law was a sickening reality.

Dogged by the humiliation of her wayward husband's antics, Jayne soon found her life spiralling out of control.

She started to hit the bottle to blot out the painful truth. At first, she'd have a few glasses of wine, but before long she was downing an entire bottle of vodka in one sitting. When that didn't prove enough to numb the pain, she'd add sleeping pills and anti-depressants into the concoction.

"I just completely lost it," said Jayne, of St John's, Worcester. "I was drinking to blank it all out and I had got myself into a right mess."

Angry and drunk, one day Jayne climbed into her husband's car and, despite the fact she was over the limit and she doesn't have a full driving licence, she proceeded to drive through the streets of Worcester.

"I was totally numb," she said. "I didn't know where I was going, I just had to try and escape everything that was happening to me."

Soon enough she was pulled over by the police, arrested and charged with drink-driving.

She had had a few scrapes with the law in her teens, but had spent her adult life as a clean-living wife and mother. So when she found herself before a court facing a criminal record, she was mortified.

Jayne was handed to a two-year community rehabilitation order, but instead of shocking her into touch, the punishment made her worse.

"I got to the point that I didn't care about anything or anyone," said Jayne, aged 45. "I was in a deep black hole and I couldn't see any way out."

Just two months after she was first arrested, Jayne went on a drinking binge at the city's pubs. In a drunken stupor, she got involved in a fight and the police were called in.

When officers tried to intervene, she lashed out and hit a policeman.

The incident saw her back before the courts and she was warned that, if her behaviour continued, she would find herself behind bars. Spared a prison term, her existing community rehabilitation order was extended for a further 18 months.

Probation officers decided to refer her to Worcester's ASHA women's centre, which proved a turning point.

At the centre, Jayne was able to share her experiences and troubles with other women in similar situations.

"I found it really helpful and it made me realise I wasn't alone and I wasn't the only person going through something like that," she said.

"It brought me out of myself. The more I went the more confident I felt about the future.

"I knew I could sort myself out and get back on the straight and narrow.

"The person who had committed the offences, who was living life looking at the bottom of an empty vodka bottle and wanted the world to end was slowly disappearing and the real me was coming back."

Now Jayne is tee-total, has left her husband and has re-established a relationship with her children after pushing them away during her depression.

She is about to embark on a computer course through Learn Direct, with the help of Worcester's Probation Service.

"I'm really looking forward to the future," she said. "I want to get a job where I can help people and give something back after being helped by other people."

Jayne has shared her harrowing tale to highlight how criminals can be reformed.

"I think I'm proof that the justice system does work," she said.

Her story is also being used to highlight National Inside Justice Week, which runs from Monday, October 17, to Sunday, October 23, and aims at encouraging people to find out more about how the criminal system works.

Organisers also hope it will encourage people to become more actively involved in fighting crime, either by reporting offences to the police or by volunteering for various roles, such as Victim Support workers or magistrates.

West Mercia Criminal Justice Board is hosting two information sessions for people interested in becoming a magistrate. The first will take place at Redditch Magistrates' Court on Monday, October 17 and the second will run at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, October 19.

Hereford Court will also be holding an open day for visitors to find out more on Saturday, October 22.

* Her name has been changed to protect her identity.