A disqualified driver who crashed while over the drink-drive limit has been banned from the roads for five years.
Daniel Steel’s car was the only vehicle involved in a collision on the A896 in Lochcarron on January 27.
When police arrived at the scene the 42-year-old admitted being under the influence of alcohol and further tests showed him to be more than four times the legal drink-drive limit.
He has also been previously banned from driving.
Steel appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court for sentencing having admitted charges of drink-driving, driving whilst disqualified, driving with no insurance, and failing to comply with a requirement to identify the driver of his vehicle.
Fiscal depute David Morton told the court that police were alerted to a road traffic collision on the main street in Lochcarron at around 5pm on the day in question.
Driver ‘obviously under the influence’
He said: “Mr Steel was obviously under the influence of alcohol and admitted to officers he had driven whilst under the influence of alcohol.”
Subsequent testing revealed his breath alcohol level to be 103 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 22 microgrammes.
Mr Morton said: “When charged Mr Steel replied simply: ‘I’m sorry’.”
Solicitor Patrick O’Dea for Steel told the court that his client, from the north-east of England, had been brought to the area by work.
Driver’s ‘very foolish’ decision
He had been staying at the Lochcarron Hotel and had been offered work in Kishorn, at which he made the “very foolish” decision to drive.
Mr O’Dea said: “He does acknowledge this is a very serious matter, he had no excuse. He gave in to the offer of work, he should have prioritised his obligation not to drive.”
Sheriff Robert Frazer told Steel, of Whitehall Street, South Shields: “You have pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehcile whilst under the influence of alcohol but far more importantly and for more seriously, whilst disqualified from driving, showing a distinct lack of insight.
“With considerable hesitation, I’m not going to send you to jail today.”
He instead placed Steel on a community payback order with 200 hours of unpaid work in the community and a programme requirement to complete rehabilitation activities.
He also banned him from the roads for five years.
