Nightmare driver

Drug-fuelled accused 'horrified' at potential for serious accidents
WICK Sheriff Court heard today about a drug-fuelled driver's 'nightmare' ride. Steven Bain weaved about the road causing drivers to take evasive action and Wick Sheriff Court heard yesterday that he was fortunate not to have caused serious accidents.

Bain, 32, was under the influence of tablets prescribed for anxiety but when a doctor refused to give him more, the accused obtain illicit supplies and it was revealed that he twice driven after taking too many pills.

Bain, of 4 Harbour Road, Lybster village, admitted two charges of driving while unfit through drugs.

The first of the incidents occurred on June 9, on B876 Kilmster to Wick road. Police received several calls about Bain's driving. One of them was an eye-witness count from a driver who followed the accused and passed on the registration of his Ford Focus to officers.

Fiscal Fraser Matheson said that Bain's speed was erratic and he swerved towards the middle of the road and crossed the centre line on several occasions.

The fiscal said that the accused would realise a vehicle was approaching from the opposite direction and would pull back onto his own side of the road, over-correcting and hitting the verge. Bain made no effort to slow down at corners and found himself on the wrong side of the road on a number of occasions."

Mr Matheson said that the accused swerved into the path of an on-coming Honda Civic. Its driver took evasive action steering onto a verge but was unable to avoid a "mirror-to-mirror" collision.

Police located Bain who gave a negative roadside breath test and was subsequently released from custody.

Turning to the second episode, on June 14, Mr Matheson said the police received a called about a one-vehicle accident on the A836 and "blood on the road", at the hamlet of Dunnet where a deer had been hit.

Parts of the animal were strewn over a significant stretch of the road. Police found the accused's Ford Focus and recovered a quantity of codine and diazepam from the vehicle. Bain was traced in Thurso later in the day and detained.

Mr Matheson said: "It was obvious to the police that he was under the influence of a substance of some kind. His speech was slurred and he was slow in responding to questions but confirmed he had been driving the vehicle which had hit the deer."

A doctor concluded that Bain was under the influence of prescribed and non- prescribed drugs and he was detained.

Solicitor Patrick O' Dea said that Bain had "listened in horror" when the the circumstances of his driving were outlined to him. The accused had bought tablets in bulk from a street supplier when his doctor would not increase his prescription and had continued to drive having taken too many of the pills.

Mr O' Dea said the driving episodes had "certainly been a wake-up call" for Bain and went on: "He realises that on several occasions he could have caused serious road accidents injuring himself and members of the public."

Sheriff Andrew Berry said that driving while under the influence of drugs, twice in a matter of five days, putting members of the public in "the gravest of danger" could not be tolerated and prison might be the only appropriate sentence.

The sheriff added: "It is clearly the stuff of nightmares" and added that Bain obviously had a number of issues to address.

Bain was remanded in custody and will be sentenced tomorrow after Sheriff Berry sees a background report.

The sheriff approved an application by the fiscal for forfeiture of the accused's vehicle.