A seaman has been banned from the road after jumping in his car more than five times the booze limit after becoming unhappy at a rugby party.
Mark Gifford had attended a party with his partner and her colleagues to watch a rugby match, but decided to leave early after starting to feel “not particularly welcomed”.
The 43-year-old made the “stupid” decision to drive and was stopped by cops on his way home after they received a tip-off.
Fiscal depute Victoria Kerr said the incident happened on the A96 between Huntly and Colpy around 7.10pm on February 5.
‘He made the stupid decision to drive home’
She told Aberdeen Sheriff Court police were on patrol in Inverurie when they were notified of a call regarding a possible drink-driver.
The officers traced the car and Gifford and “detected a strong smell of alcohol”.
He then failed a breath test.
Gifford, of Skellister, Shetland, pled guilty to driving with 115 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 22 microgrammes.
‘He tells me he was unhappy at the party’
Defence agent Ian Woodward-Nutt said his client, a self-employed seaman, normally resided in Shetland, but split his time between there and Aberdeenshire where his partner worked for the NHS.
He said: “He and his partner had attended a party of his partner’s work colleagues to watch the rugby.
“The intention had been for him to leave his car at the party.
“He tells me he was unhappy at the party and did not feel particularly welcomed and felt isolated.
“He and his partner decided to leave early. Unfortunately, by that stage, he had consumed alcohol and he, for reasons he can’t rationalise, made the stupid decision to take the vehicle and drive home.”
Mr Woodward-Nutt added that his client had been driving for 25 years with no previous convictions and that the offence was “utterly out of character”.
He also apologised on behalf of Gifford, who he said was “deeply ashamed”.
Sheriff Valerie Johnston fined him £640 and banned him from driving for 20 months.
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