A man who is not allowed to drive because of his epilepsy got behind the wheel of his girlfriend’s car after drinking.
Bryan Findlater had been on a night out in Inverurie with his partner, Claire Munro, who had driven her silver Vauxhall Astra into town.
In the early hours of July 29, police patrolling the town centre spotted Findlater get into the car and start to drive it.
The court heard that the 28-year-old welder is unable to hold a driving licence because of his epilepsy but had hopped into Ms Munro’s vehicle after noticing how busy a nearby taxi rank was.
Fiscal Katie Murray, said: “There was a strong smell of alcohol emanating from Findlater when he was stopped by the police, his eyes were glazed and he was slurring his words.”
Findlater, of Ogilvie Crescent, Kintore, later admitted driving after drinking so much that he had 60 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 mililitres of breath, nearly three times the legal limit of 22mcg.
He accepted further charges of driving without insurance, while disqualified from holding a licence and without the consent of the car’s owner.
Defence agent Ross Taggart said his client had consumed “about four whiskies” in the Butchers Arms pub, which clouded his judgement.
Mr Taggart added: “He had the keys in his possession and when he noticed there were no taxis available, the accused took the unwise decision to pick up the car.
“He came to the attention of the police quite quickly.”
Sheriff Sukwhinder Gill fined Findlater £1,000 and told him he “shouldn’t be anywhere near a car”.
She said: “If you were to have a fit while driving you might hurt yourself and others.”
