A driver who put his foot down to get a relative home in time for his curfew has been disqualified – after hitting speeds of 103mph in an unroadworthy car.
Robert Clark was caught speeding along the B9040 Lossiemouth to Hopeman road, which is a 60mph limit.
Officers carrying out speed checks pulled him over, and discovered several defects with his car – as well as the fact he was driving without insurance.
Elgin Sheriff Court heard the car was taken to Sheriffmill Garage where mechanics found a number of major faults, including excessively worn near-offside brake pads and fractured nearside and offside coils.
Depute fiscal Alex Swain told the court officers were carrying out checks on the B9040 – a notorious speeding hotspot – when Clark went by on June 23 last year.
She said: “The police were carrying out speed checks at about 6.30pm when they saw a motor car rush past them at speed and 103mph was recorded.
“Police followed and made ground on the car before they noticed it brake heavily arriving in Hopeman.
“When the car was taken to a local garage, it was found to have serious defects which would affect the safe control of the vehicle so because of his speed, dangerous driving proceedings were brought against him.”
Clark, of Langstane Place in Elgin, has a litany of other driving offences.
Defence solicitor Stephen Carty urged Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov not to send his client to jail.
He said: “My client recognises that he should not have been driving the vehicle but he did not notice that it was so bad.
“He was trying to assist a family member to avoid being late for their curfew conditions and has now landed himself in significant trouble which he can only apologise for.
“He does have a checkered record with an extremely extensive number of road traffic violation but this is a case where there is more than one option for dealing with this.”
Clark pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving and driving without insurance.
Sheriff Pasportnikov disqualified him for two years and gave him 300 hours of unpaid work.
Clark was also given a fine of £370 but refused to pay it, instead taking two weeks of imprisonment.
