A man who drives tractors for a living has lost his licence after he crashed his car while almost four times over the limit.
Dariusz Stec was caught by police who were called to the scene of his crash on Elgin’s High Street at around 6.30pm on February 17 this year.
The 43-year-old had finished his work as a tractor driver, gone home, consumed alcohol and wound up hungry, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.
But instead of walking less than 1.5 miles to the High Street from his Elgin home, he jumped behind the wheel.
Fiscal depute Shay Treanor said Stec was the only person within the crashed car when police attended.
Stec pled guilty to driving with 82mcg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, the legal limit being 22. It was his second drink-driving conviction.
Defence agent Matthew O’Neill said: “He had returned from his work and had begun to consume alcohol whilst at home.
“Having done so he had thought that he was still okay to drive, perhaps not feeling the full effects of the alcohol that he had consumed.
“He wanted to get some food so got into his car and travelled to the High Street to get some food.
“He was in no fit state.”
The solicitor added that Stec is employed full-time as a “hard-working” tractor driver but has been assured he will be offered an alternative role by his employer once he inevitably loses his licence.
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said the minimum he could disqualify him for, given his other recent drink-driving conviction, was three years.
Stec, of Maple Walk, Elgin, was fined £1,275 and banned from the road for three years. He can reduce that ban by 25% if he completes a drink-driver rehabilitation scheme.
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