A drink-driving builder who came to Aberdeen to work on the site of a new hospital told a sheriff he had a “rush of blood to the head”.
Carl Smith had been drinking in a pub near the city’s Frederick Street before making the rash decision to get behind the wheel of a van.
But the 65-year-old quickly caught the attention of the police and he was pulled over.
On top of failing a breath test, revealing he was three times the legal alcohol limit, further checks revealed he was already banned from driving.
Fiscal depute Claire Stewart told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the incident happened around 10.15pm on August 25 last month.
‘Smell of alcohol’ on his breath, unsteady on his feet
“Police on uniformed patrol observed a white transit van driving at the locus,” she said and added: “They suspected the driver to have come from a nearby licenced premises”.
Officers stopped the vehicle and, on finding Smith to be the driver, noticed a “smell of alcohol” on his breath.
Smith was also unsteady on his feet and it was discovered that he was disqualified from driving.
He was arrested after failing a breath test.
Smith, who is from Pembrokeshire in England but is staying on Errol Street while in Aberdeen, pled guilty to driving while disqualified and with 68mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.
The legal limit is 22mcg.
‘I had a rush of blood to the head’
The road traffic offender, who defended himself in court without a solicitor, said he had been drinking in a nearby pub, adding: “I had a rush of blood to the head”.
Sheriff Donald Ferguson told Smith: “It’s a serious matter to drive while disqualified. When I started off as a lawyer, most accused persons who did that went to prison.
“If you commit such an offence again, that’s a very likely disposal.”
The sheriff fined Smith £1,275 and banned him from driving for 18 months.
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