A Highland telephone engineer was banned for four months yesterday after admitting driving carelessly on his way home from a family holiday.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard that 51-year-old Michael MacInnes, of Upper Breakish, Skye, was stopped by police after overtaking their vehicle near Invermoriston on October 25, 2015.
Fiscal depute Robert Weir said MacInnes was spoken to by officers after driving close up to the rear of their car in torrential rain.
“He then overtook and the police car had to brake to allow him to get back before he encountered a sharp bend.
“He had two children in the rear as well as a woman passenger in the front and accelerated away sharply afterwards.
“But another motorist reported that his Audi A4 had tailgated him near Inverinate.” Mr Weir added.
Defence solicitor Clare Russell said: “My client was returning from a family holiday and was anxious to get home.
“He does not drive like this normally and has had a clean licence since he passed his test as a teenager.
“His licence is essential to him for his work on Skye.” she added.
Fining him £600 and disqualifying him from the road, Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood told MacInnes: “I have said time and time again, if your driving licence is essential to you, then the time to consider that is when you are behind the wheel, not when you are standing in the dock of a court.”
