Drink driver who crashed giving grandad a lift home handed three-year ban

A drunk driver who crashed a car on top of a dyke while he gave his boozy grandad a lift home has avoided jail but must carry out unpaid work and adhere to a curfew.

David Gillespie was already banned from the road at the time but got behind the wheel of his grandad’s car after it was agreed he was “least drunk” of the two.

The 29-year-old, who had served less than two months of a previous roads ban when he crashed the car, was so drunk he struggled to stand up straight, Peterhead Sheriff Court was told.

As well as drinking lager and vodka, the nightshift worker and father-of-one had smoked cannabis.

Fiscal depute Ruaridh McAllister told the court that the car Gillespie was driving came to a rest on a wall on the A950 New Pitsligo-to-Mintlaw road’s junction with the B9030.

‘Both men were intoxicated’

He said a witness saw the car come off the road and get lodged on top of a wall before Gillespie staggered from the car and asked for a hand getting the car “unstuck”.

When officers arrived they found Gillespie “unsteady on his feet” but willing to admit he had been drinking and taken the cannabis.

A reading taken by police found Gillespie almost three times the legal limit.

Defence agent Iain Jane said his client “accepted full responsibility” and that the car belonged to his grandfather.

He said the call was made that out of the two men Gillespie was “less drunk and could be relied upon to drive them both home”.

“Clearly that was not correct,” he told the court.

Curfew only way to avoid jail time

Last month, Sheriff Christine McCrossan warned Gillespie that “custody has to be considered” given he’d breached the driving ban so quickly after it was imposed.

She called for a restriction of liberty order assessment to be completed in case this can be used as a direct alternative to custody.

Mr Jane said that assessment did offer up an alternative for Gillespie as he was willing to give up his free day time between night shifts.

He added that his client does not have an alcohol problem but instead “runs into problems” when he binge drinks.

Gillespie, of Duncan Crescent, Peterhead, also admitted a charge of driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

He was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, a six-month curfew and a supervision order lasting two years.

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