A man who was found slumped over the wheel of a rented van while high on drugs was also caught drink-driving in Aberdeen city centre.
Andrew Grant’s first run-in with police came after he was found slumped and sleepy in the front of a hire van in Aberdeen with no less than six different prescription drugs in his system.
He committed the second offence when he was spotted driving the wrong way up a one-way street and through two sets of red lights while more than three times the drink-drive limit.
The 33-year-old appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted two charges: being in charge of a vehicle while unfit through drugs and drink-driving.
Fiscal depute Kate Scarborough said the first incident, involving a cocktail of drugs, happened on Gardner Road in Aberdeen on June 27 2020.
She said police noticed the Enterprise van was stationary with the passenger side door wide open and encroaching into the opposing lane at 12.10am.
‘Falling asleep, drowsy and incoherent’
“The accused had access to the vehicle through his employment at the time and was insured to drive it,” Ms Scarborough said.
“Police observed the vehicle with the front passenger side door open. It was encroaching into the opposing lane.
“They drove alongside the vehicle and observed the driver to be slumped over in the front passenger side. The police managed to rouse him but he was unable to focus properly and was falling asleep, drowsy and incoherent.”
After he gave provided negative results on both an alcohol breath test and a drug saliva swipe he continued to fall asleep on officers and was taken to Kittybrewster custody suite for examination.
There a doctor did further tests and found five different forms of diazepam and some codeine in his blood, and deemed him unfit to have been behind the wheel.
Ignored red lights and road closure
His second case calling in court involved him driving his own grey Vauxhall vehicle carelessly and while over the limit on May 1 last year.
Grant first ran two red lights on Bon Accord Street then ignored a temporary one-way restriction on Springbank Terrace at 2.40am.
He was finally stopped by police using blue lights at another red light on Crown Street at its junction with Union Street.
He told police who pulled him over: “I apologise and I’m glad nobody is hurt.”
His breath test showed he had 69mcg of alcohol in one litre of blood, the legal limit being 22.
Defence agent David Sutherland said Grant needed help reducing his substance misuse but had shown “a comprehensive level of insight” into his offending in background reports.
Banned from driving for 21 months
He added Grant is currently unemployed but “enjoys work and is keen to return to it”.
Sheriff Eric Brown said it was a “very high reading” on the second occasion and banned Grant, of Union Grove, Aberdeen, for 21 months, a term he can reduce if he completed a drink-driver rehabilitation scheme.
He also fined handed Grant a one-year supervision order and 180 hours of unpaid work.
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