A motorist who was caught more than six times the drink drive limit while banned from being behind the wheel has been warned he faces being sent to prison.
Edward Welsh, from Glasgow, was stopped by police on the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road in Moray after a concerned call from a member of the public.
The 38-year-old was breath tested by officers on West Road in Elgin shortly after 4pm and was later arrested.
Yesterday Welsh pleaded guilty to drink driving and driving while disqualified on June 21 when he appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court.
Tests proved that the motorist had the alarming amount of 139mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath at the time of the offence – the legal limit is 22mcg.
Following Welsh’s arrest, police praised the help of another driver for their assistance during the incident.
Defence solicitor Matthew O’Neill explained that his client had already made efforts to reduce his alcohol intake by referring himself to support groups.
He said: “There is a background problem with alcohol, which will not make particularly good reading for Mr Welsh.
“He has been working in the area for some time now and has been told that this incident will not affect his employment.
“However, he is aware that the court may take the view that the only option is custody for him. I’ve made him aware of that. In the meantime, he is doing his best to try and turn things around.”
Sheriff Chris Dickson told Welsh, of Ballgarry Road in Glasgow, that he had been “just persuaded” to release him on bail because of the efforts he was already making to address his alcohol problem.
Sentence was deferred until September 6 in order for background reports to be prepared.
Road Policing Inspector Neil Morrison said: “Drink driving must not be regarded as acceptable behaviour. Support and information from the public is invaluable to assist officers in detecting and deterring suspected offenders.”
