A police firearms officer who drove dangerously across the north-east has claimed he had to react as if he was responding to the next Dunblane massacre.
John Kearney sped through Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray during rush-hour traffic – forcing other motorists to swerve out of his way as he went to answer two 999 calls.
During the 48-mile journey Kearney drove through red lights and twice lost control of his armed-response vehicle.
The advanced police driver also drove the loaded Land Rover Discovery the wrong way round Aberdeen’s notorious Haudagain roundabout, having just sped down North Anderson Drive on the wrong side of the road.
Yesterday, the 49-year-old appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court for a special reasons hearing, after admitting committing the offence last month.
The court heard that Kearney had been the driver of a bulletproof armed response vehicle in Aberdeen which was ready to respond to any emergency calls.
Giving evidence during the hearing, which is aimed at determining whether or not he had good reason to drive in the way he did, Kearney said he had originally started his journey from the city’s Nelson Street police office.
He said the initial intention was for he and his colleague to go to a crash in Aberdeen.
But Kearney said that about three minutes into his journey he received a call from the control room telling him to go to an incident in Macduff.
He said he was told there had been reports of a man threatening to kill another man with a handgun.
Kearney said he immediately activated his blue lights and sirens and sped through the city centre reaching speeds of up to 65mph in a 30mph zone.
When asked by Sheriff Annella Cowan if his training had permitted exceeding the speed limit to such an extent, he said: “Due to the nature of the call I believed it was appropriate to drive at that speed to make progress due to the threat to life of the members of the public in Macduff.
“We were one of two units within the city that could have potentially resolved the situation.
“At that time all we knew was that there was a man with a handgun.
“We have to treat it like we are responding to a situation which may have the potential to mirror Derek Bird, Raoul Moat, or Dunblane.
“Until we get further intelligence we do not know what we are looking at. As a bronze firearms commander you have to treat it like it is a serious firearms threat to life.”
The court heard that on his way to Macduff at around 4.30pm on February 12 last year Kearney received another call from his control room asking him to divert to Elgin.
He said at that point he received reports of a man brandishing a knife at two children.
He told the court that he had to think of the quickest route to take to Elgin.
He said he proceeded to overtake on blind bends and across solid white lines.
However, he claimed that because of the “high up position” of the vehicle he was driving he had a better view of the road than an ordinary motorist would.
He again said he did so to “make progress” and said as he had a greater distance to drive than first anticipated there was even more reason for him to speed.
The court was shown CCTV footage taken from a camera mounted on the bonnet of his 4×4, which showed oncoming vehicles and snow-covered verges.
During the footage Sheriff Cowan commented that she did not see anything different in the way he was driving to other emergency vehicles she had witnessed responding to call-outs.
But in evidence to the court, Sergeant Christopher Kerr, who specialises in emergency response driving, said he believed Kearney’s actions were dangerous and added “he had no regard for the safety of himself or other road users”.
The hearing will continue tomorrow.