Millionairess Ann Gloag should have taken the bus when she drove from her Perthshire stately home to her Highland castle outside Inverness earlier this year.
The 72-year-old co-founder of the Stagecoach transport group was caught speeding on the notorious A9 Perth-Inverness road during the summer.
Gloag, whose address was given as Kinfauns Castle, Perthshire, was clocked at 90mph in a 60mph zone by traffic police.
Gloag, a first offender, was driving her Range Rover Vogue on July 5 approaching the long single carriageway section near Moy at Lynebeg, heading for her home at Beaufort Castle, near Beauly.
She was caught by police carrying out speed checks on the road who spotted Mrs Gloag’s vehicle as it went past them.
They followed her and brought her vehicle to a halt and charged her with speeding. She made no reply at the time.
At Inverness Justice of the Peace Court yesterday, Gloag was not present when her solicitor tendered a plea of guilty on her behalf.
She said that Mrs Gloag was abroad doing charitable work in Kenya. She added: “She apologises unreservedly for her behaviour.”
Gloag was fined £400 and had five penalty points endorsed on her clean licence.
It was also her first conviction in a criminal court.
But despite being Scotland’s richest woman with an estimated fortune of around £500million, magistrate Richard Syred didn’t seem to recognise the name.
After delivering his sentence, he asked Gloag’s lawyer if her client required time to pay.
The former burns unit nurse was then given 28 days to pay the fine.
