Teenager drove at 60mph in Caithness village street

DRIVER COULD HAVE CAUSED "ALL SORT OF CONSEQUENCES"

AN Edinburgh teenager who drove through a Caithness village street at speeds reaching 60 mphwas told by a sheriff that it could have resulted in “all sorts of awful consequences”.
Wick Sheriff Court, heard today that, fortunately, no-one in the residential area, which has a 30mph speed restriction, was hurt.
Michael McKinley (19) admitted dangerous driving and had sentence deferred, pending reports.
The court was told that he had been visiting his father, the licencee of the Commercial Bar, in Halkirk, and decided to go for a drive in his (father’s) car, yesterday afternoon. McKinley drove out of the village then turned and headed back.
Procurator fiscal Alasdair MacDonald said that there were at least two other moving cars in Sinclair Street and pedestrians, including an elderly woman accompanied by a girl on the pavement.
McKinley, an unemployed painter/decorator approached at “considerable speed” which he later admitted to police, was “about 60mph”, appearantly oblivious to the fact he was in a 30mph zone. His car came round a sharp bend “far too fast” and when he came out of it, the vehicle began to ‘wobble’and clipped a grass verge.
Mr MacDonaldsaid it appeared to an eye witness that McKinley was struggling to get the car back on track.
The fiscal continued: “The vehicle was, by now, out of control. A car coming towards, him managed to pass. McKinley travelled right across the road and mounted the pavement then came back onto its own side . Another car, in front of the accused, was far enough ahead to get out of danger. The accused’s vehicle began to skid along the road and collided with a house, withsuch force that it burst the stone work before bouncing back onto the pavement on the other side of the road, severely damaged.”
Sheriff Andrew Berry described the case as “a very serious matter” and told McKinley, who holds a provisional driving licence: “This could have had all sorts of awful consequences. Those that occurred, were bad enough.”
McKinley, of Northview Court, Muir House, Edinburgh, appeared from custody and will be sentenced on July 8, after the sheriff considers background reports.