A Banchory man crashed his girlfriend’s car into a wall then drove off while more than three-times the drink-drive limit, a court has heard.
Graham McDonald, 37, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted getting behind the wheel after drinking a bottle of wine at his home.
Witnesses watched as the supermarket worker drove his girlfriend’s car through a junction and plowed it into a stone dyke before driving off.
McDonald told the court he was “not really conscious” and “really quite confused” at the time of the crash.
Police later caught up with McDonald and found him to be more than three-times the drink-drive limit.
He pleaded guilty to three charges of driving without due care and attention and colliding with a wall, failing to stop and give details and of drink-driving.
Accused was driving ‘at speed’ in 30mph zone
Fiscal depute Ellen Barr told the court that at around 8pm on January 8 this year McDonald was spotted in a residential area of Banchory that has a 30mph speed limit.
She said: “The accused’s vehicle was seen approaching a junction at speed and failed to stop at the junction at Burnett Road and continued straight on, colliding with a stone wall.
“Concerned witnesses then ran towards the vehicle to make sure the driver was okay as there was significant damage to the front of the car and the airbags had been deployed.
“There was also smoke coming from the front of the car.
“A witness spoke to the accused and he stated that the road was icy and that was why he had collided with the wall.
“The witness contacted the police and the accused informed him he was going to move his car to a safer place – but then diverted it from the wall and drove off at speed.
“Police witnesses thereafter stopped the accused’s vehicle and he appeared to be intoxicated.
“He immediately admitted to having consumed a bottle of wine that evening.”
When breathalysed McDonald gave a reading of 68 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 22mg.
‘I just wanted to get home’
McDonald, who was representing himself, told the court that at the time of the incident he believes he was “not really conscious” and “really quite confused”.
He added: “I wanted to leave my details with the property owner but at the time I just wanted to get home.
“I also needed to get the car back as it was my girlfriend’s car.”
Sheriff Lesley Johnston fined McDonald, of Burnett Road, £530 and ordered him to take part in a drink-drivers rehabilitation course.
She also disqualified him from driving for 12 months.
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