Nwicker60
23-Oct-12, 10:08
Morning-after driver was over the limit
A morning-after-the-night-before drinks driver from Grangemouth was fined £400 and banned from driving for a year.
Donald McCaffer admitted being over the limit at Wick Sheriff Court. The steel fixer, working in the area, was stopped in Bower Court, Thurso, on Sunday, and breathalysed, after police got the smell of alcohol. Tests revealed a breath-alcohol level of 52 mgs, in excess of the legal limit of 35mgs.
Solicitor Neil Wilson said it was a “classic morning-after-the-night before case”. McCaffer, of Coll Place, Grangemouth, had been drinking heavily the previous night. Loss of his licence would be "a nuisance" but not so far as his work was concerned as he would be able to get lifts.
McCaffer (29)was advised he could reduce his disqualification by a quarter if he successfully completed the drinks-drivers’ rehabilitation course.
Fined for disorderly conduct
A WICK man, who caused a disturbance at a local nightspot, was fined £300.
Gary Robertson of 14 Hospital Road, Wick admitted disorderly behaviour and resisting arrest and a record.
It was stated the 31-year-old was reluctant to comply with a request to leave the Silver Darlings bar in the early hours of September 8, after stewards took exception to his drunken behaviour, but eventually did so. Outside, however, Robertson struggled with police and lashed out and was given a short burst of CS gas before he could be detained.
Sheriff Andrew Berry, who heard that the accused was settled in a job and was in a steady relationship with his partner, currently expecting their second child, said he would therefore not consider a custodial sentence.
The sheriff admonished Robertson on the disturbance charge but fined him for resisting the police. The court heard that the accused had gone out drinking, after various issues had "got on top of him".
Scenery to blame for careless driving
AN English driver was so captivated with the Caithness landscape that he went off the road.
It happened after van driver Roy Walker tried in vain to resist looking at the landscape and ended up in a ditch.
Walker, of 3 Salvia Close, Banbury, Oxfordshire, admitted a reduced charge of careless driving at Wick Sheriff Court, yesterday. He was fined £200 and incurred three penalty points.
The accident occurred on the A9 Causewaymire on April 13. Walker, 50-year-old courier, lost control of his van which left the road.
Senior fiscal depute, David Barclay said that a driver travelling behind the accused observed his vehicle “drift” off the road into a ditch.
When interviewed by the police, Walker said he had been admiring the scenery and momentarily lost his concentration.
Solicitor Fiona MacDonald told the court that the accused had been unable to refrain from admiring the landscape and lost control.
Noting the reason for Walker’s carelessness Sheriff Berry said it was "refreshing" to hear it adding: “Sometimes unlikely explanations are offered as excuses for such offences.”
A morning-after-the-night-before drinks driver from Grangemouth was fined £400 and banned from driving for a year.
Donald McCaffer admitted being over the limit at Wick Sheriff Court. The steel fixer, working in the area, was stopped in Bower Court, Thurso, on Sunday, and breathalysed, after police got the smell of alcohol. Tests revealed a breath-alcohol level of 52 mgs, in excess of the legal limit of 35mgs.
Solicitor Neil Wilson said it was a “classic morning-after-the-night before case”. McCaffer, of Coll Place, Grangemouth, had been drinking heavily the previous night. Loss of his licence would be "a nuisance" but not so far as his work was concerned as he would be able to get lifts.
McCaffer (29)was advised he could reduce his disqualification by a quarter if he successfully completed the drinks-drivers’ rehabilitation course.
Fined for disorderly conduct
A WICK man, who caused a disturbance at a local nightspot, was fined £300.
Gary Robertson of 14 Hospital Road, Wick admitted disorderly behaviour and resisting arrest and a record.
It was stated the 31-year-old was reluctant to comply with a request to leave the Silver Darlings bar in the early hours of September 8, after stewards took exception to his drunken behaviour, but eventually did so. Outside, however, Robertson struggled with police and lashed out and was given a short burst of CS gas before he could be detained.
Sheriff Andrew Berry, who heard that the accused was settled in a job and was in a steady relationship with his partner, currently expecting their second child, said he would therefore not consider a custodial sentence.
The sheriff admonished Robertson on the disturbance charge but fined him for resisting the police. The court heard that the accused had gone out drinking, after various issues had "got on top of him".
Scenery to blame for careless driving
AN English driver was so captivated with the Caithness landscape that he went off the road.
It happened after van driver Roy Walker tried in vain to resist looking at the landscape and ended up in a ditch.
Walker, of 3 Salvia Close, Banbury, Oxfordshire, admitted a reduced charge of careless driving at Wick Sheriff Court, yesterday. He was fined £200 and incurred three penalty points.
The accident occurred on the A9 Causewaymire on April 13. Walker, 50-year-old courier, lost control of his van which left the road.
Senior fiscal depute, David Barclay said that a driver travelling behind the accused observed his vehicle “drift” off the road into a ditch.
When interviewed by the police, Walker said he had been admiring the scenery and momentarily lost his concentration.
Solicitor Fiona MacDonald told the court that the accused had been unable to refrain from admiring the landscape and lost control.
Noting the reason for Walker’s carelessness Sheriff Berry said it was "refreshing" to hear it adding: “Sometimes unlikely explanations are offered as excuses for such offences.”