A drink-driver was caught almost three times the legal limit on his way home from Azerbaijan – despite usually carrying his own breathalyser.
Graeme Wright, a father-of-one, had been drinking to ease the stress of his 2,500-mile journey back to Elgin, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
The 47-year-old stopped drinking when he got to Heathrow before his flight up to Aberdeen, and had mistakenly thought the alcohol would have metabolised by then.
Wright, who Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard usually carries a breathalyser to make sure he’s okay to drive, did not use it this time and was caught out with the police pulled him over on the A96.
‘He thought any alcohol he had had would have been metabolised’
Fiscal depute Lydia Ross said the incident happened around 6.15pm on July 21 when police were tipped off about a suspected drink-driver.
Officers made search and traced the Wright’s vehicle on the A96 Inverurie to Huntly road near the Blackhall roundabout.
Ms Ross said: “On speaking with the accused, it became clear he was slurring his speech and smelled of alcohol.”
He was swiftly arrested and taken back to Kittybrewster station where the formal procedure was carried out.
Wright, of Springburn Place, Elgin, pled guilty to driving with 64 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 22 microgrammes.
Defence agent Gregor Kelly said his client was appearing in court for the first time and was “devastated” to be in that situation.
‘He’s got a breathalyser kit that he uses’
Mr Kelly said Wright worked in Azerbaijan as an onshore supervisor, adding: “He came straight off a night shift and embarked on the lengthy and arduous journey home.
“He flew from Baku to Istanbul, from Istanbul to London and from London to Aberdeen.
“He describes himself as being rundown and said he did drink on the first two flights but stopped when he got to Heathrow.
“He thought any alcohol he had had would have been metabolised. Clearly, that was not the case.”
Mr Kelly went on: “He’s got a breathalyser kit that he uses, but that didn’t happen on this occasion and, of course, he was stopped.”
Sheriff Sean Lynch fined Wright £420 and banned him from driving for a year.
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