A head chef who crashed his car while more than twice the drink-drive limit climbed from his car and reported himself to police, a court has heard.
Daniel Avis appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted driving a friend home after drinking a couple of “hefty” gin and tonics at his home in Inverbervie.
The 23-year-old crashed his black Audi at Arbuthnott, near Laurencekirk, where he got out of his vehicle and called the police to inform them about the accident.
Avis, a head chef at a restaurant in Broughty Ferry, was told by a sheriff he had made a “serious error”.
Chef smelled ‘strongly of alcohol’
Fiscal Lydia Ross told the court that at around 4.25am on April 13 this year Avis contacted the police himself regarding a road traffic collision.
“Police attended and the accused was identified as the driver of the vehicle,” she said.
“It was noted that he smelled strongly of alcohol.
“The accused was detained and subsequently taken to Kittybrewster Police Station where he was required to carry out a breath test and gave reading libelled.”
When breathalysed Avis gave a reading of 58 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 22 microgrammes.
‘He thought the alcohol had metabolised’
Defence agent Gregor Kelly told the court that Avis had “had a couple of friends around for the evening”.
“He had consumed two hefty gin and tonics earlier that evening,” he said.
“The fact that he self-reported shows he thought the alcohol had metabolised – but clearly it had not.
“Mr Avis made the decision to drive his friend from Inverbervie to Laurencekirk and he realises this was a misjudgment on his part.”
Avis pleaded guilty to one charge of being in charge of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
Sheriff Mark Stewart told Avis: “This is a serious error and the reading is quite high, though I take account of the fact that it was you who called the police.
“I know you believed you were under the limit but you clearly were not.”
Sheriff Stewart fined Avis, of West Park Crescent, Inverbervie, a total of £420 and disqualified him from driving for 12 months.
