An Aberdeenshire pensioner has been banned from driving for two years after going grocery shopping while more than three times the legal alcohol limit.
Thomas Davidson, of Hillhead Road in Ellon, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence when he appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday.
The 67-year-old was found to have 68 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, when the legal limit is 22mcgs.
Defence agent Shane Campbell told the court Davidson had been drinking in Ellon on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 22.
He said his client had decided to “pop out” for groceries at a shop no more than 500 yards away in Provost Davidson Drive.
Police received a call from a member of the public who was concerned about the way Davidson was driving his Jaguar XF on the short journey, and officers stopped the former offshore worker at about 7.30pm.
Mr Campbell said his client “hadn’t appreciated” being so far over the legal limit but later acknowledged he had made a “serious error”.
The court heard the pensioner had been driving for about 50 years without incident, with the exception of a previous conviction in 2002.
Mr Campbell said that, given the accused had retired, a driving ban would not threaten his livelihood – but would inconvenience him and his wife.
Sheriff Andrew Miller disqualified Davidson from driving for two years and fined him £800.
