A top north businessman was caught driving at nearly twice the speed limit on Scotland’s most notorious road.
Ruaraidh Stone was clocked at 114mph on a 60mph stretch of the A9 in his BMW.
Yesterday, the 50-year-old boss of Highland Fine Cheeses was given a one-year ban and fined £400.
But angry road safety campaigners said he should have faced a dangerous driving charge – and even Stone admitted he was “lucky” not to have been punished more severely.
He admitted a single charge of speeding past junctions along a straight section of the A9 between Inverness and Scrabster in his new two-litre diesel estate.
The offence was committed between Pitmaduthy and Kildary on December 11 last year.
Tain Sheriff Court was told Stone was stopped by a police patrol car after hitting 114mph – and that he had a previous speeding conviction dating back to 2012.
His counsel, John Campbell QC, urged Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist to show leniency, saying no other road users had been affected by his client’s driving.
He said: “The offence happened on a straight piece of road, there was no traffic on the road and the weather was clear.
“He was stopped by a police car and fully co-operated with them.”
The sheriff said: “You must know that a disqualification would be inevitable following this charge.
“However, I am satisfied that a minimal sentence is acceptable in this case.”
The court was told Stone, of 6 Murray Street, Tain, held an HGV licence for his work and also a motorcycle licence.
He will now face a further hearing before the Traffic Commissioner in Inverness in respect of his lorry licence.
He regularly drives milk tankers between the cheese company’s factory in the Easter Ross town and suppliers in Caithness and was described as the “key person” in the firm.
Highland Fine Cheeses has been run by the Stone family since 1951 from a dairy at Blarliath Farm and sells its goods all over the country.
Its Strathdon Blue was named Scotland’s best cheese at the 2002 British Cheese Awards.
Stone’s brother is Highland Council member Jamie Stone, who represents Tain and Easter Ross, and is former MSP for the area.
Outside court, Stone admitted he felt relieved that he was not disqualified for longer.
He said: “I feel quite lucky, to be honest, because it could have been worse.
“It was a foolish thing to do.
“I think I’m going to have to buy a bicycle now.
“In fact, I’m now going to have to spend a lot more time in the office watching milk go sour than out on the road.”
Margaret Dekker, secretary of Scotland’s Campaign Against Irresponsible Drivers, said the sentence sent out the wrong signal to other motorists.
“It is clearly driving dangerously and it puts any reasonable and innocent road user at risk,” she said. “Any driving like this should be treated as dangerous driving and that gives the court more options for penalties.
“A year’s suspension doesn’t really send out a clear message.”