A motorist was so drunk he couldn’t remember driving the wrong way down one of Scotland’s most notorious roads.
Third time drunk driver Brandon Richards was also so intoxicated, police couldn’t give him a breathalyser test to determine how much alcohol was in his system.
Yesterday, Richards, of Kenn Road, Clevedon, North Somerset was jailed for a year and banned from driving for six years after Sheriff Margaret Neilson described his driving as “shocking.”
She also criticised prosecutors for not bring charges at a higher court, saying: “You are lucky you didn’t kill someone else or yourself. It is a surprise this was not in a higher forum but that is a matter for the Crown.”
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that Richards staggered out of a local hotel and drove the wrong way along a dual carriageway section of the main road between Inverness and Perth.
He was also a disqualified driver, having only been banned from the road a few weeks earlier.
Father of five Richards, whose new partner is also pregnant, admitted driving dangerously, while disqualified and also while unfit through drink on March 5 this year.
The court was told that Richards was seen on CCTV “staggering” in the car park at the Stoneyfield Travelodge getting into a VW van.
Another motorist had to take evasive action to avoid a head on collision as Richards continued driving the wrong way up the dual carriageway in a northerly direction on the southbound carriageway of the A9.
Fiscal depute David Morton added: “Luckily the road was very quiet at that time. Richards then proceeded on to a sliproad at the Raigmore Interchange where he joined the correct lane and drove towards North Kessock and was stopped by police. He was a disqualified driver and not due to get his licence back until 2018.”
Defence lawyer Rory Gowans admitted: “He has a poor record and is prepared for the jail sentence. He now has three serious driving convictions and this was shockingly bad dangerous driving.
“He was on a work trial here and has no recollection of doing this or why he got into the van to drive.”
