A man who went out for a drink to celebrate beating cancer was arrested after being caught driving home from the pub.
Stuart Johnstone had been out with a friend in Ellon on Saturday, November 23, having been told his leukaemia was in remission.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told that the Collieston man had travelled into the town and enjoyed a drink at the Bridge Bar.
Johnstone’s solicitor, Stuart Murray, said trouble had broken out when a group of younger men in the pub started “picking on” his friend.
He told Sheriff Graham Napier that his client’s Honda Civic was parked near the town’s Tesco supermarket with his house keys inside.
Mr Murray said: “He left on his own to go to his car to collect his house keys.
“He knew perfectly well he was not fit to drive.”
Officers stopped the Honda Civic at around 1.30am on Lintmill Brae, the road leading towards Collieston from the Tesco.
They found Johnstone, of Whitemoss Cottages, behind the wheel.
Fiscal depute Brian Young said that, when breathalysed, police found he had 87 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, when the limit is 22 mcgs.
He added: “Police observed a vehicle and stopped it after seeing the manner in which it moved off.”
Sheriff Graeme Napier banned Johnstone from holding a driving licence for 16 months and fined him £700.
