A former police officer who was involved in a car crash after going through a red light as she responded to a colleague’s distress call has won a court battle to overturn a driving ban.
Natasha Watt was originally given a 12 month disqualification after she admitted dangerous driving at Aberdeen Sheriff Court following the collision with two other vehicles.
But appeal sheriffs have quashed the ban and given her five penalty points on her licence.
Ex-constable Watt (23) from Aberdeenshire was driving a police vehicle responding to an emergency report when she and a colleague received a distress call during which she heard an officer scream.
Her counsel told the Sheriff Appeal Court in Edinburgh that Watt had approached a junction in Aberdeen at about 15 mph on Clifton Road and slowed to 10 mph as she went through a red light in November 2014.
She had activated flashing blue lights but not the siren on the vehicle.
The counsel maintained that Watt was at the centre of an urgent situation and it was reasonable to infer she must have feared for the safety of a colleague.
She argued that sheriff who disqualified her had erred in rejecting the argument that special reasons existed why she should not be given the mandatory minimum 12-month ban.
Appeal sheriff, Sheriff Principal CAL Scott QC, said in a judgement published today (fri): “We have reached the conclusion that the sheriff’s approach to the matter cannot be supported.”
“For our part, we are satisfied that the appellant would probably not have entered the junction in the face of a red light were it not for the emergency nature of the mission she was undertaking. in other words, the extenuating circumstances generated by the emergency were, to our mind, unquestionably connected to the commission of the offence.”
“Whilst the appellant did indeed plead guilty to a charge of driving dangerously, it was a momentary failing on the part of the appellant which created that offence.”
“It may have been unfortunate that the appellant overlooked to activate the vehicle’s siren but it driving as she did she had in mind the safety of other road users; she activated the vehcile’s blue lights and significantly reduced the speed of the vehicle.”
“Against that background, it is, in our opinion, eminently open to this court to determine that special reasons ought to have been held established by the sheriff,” said the sheriff principal.
