An Oban night shift worker narrowly missed spending a night in the cells after sleeping in for his court date.
Kacper Dudzic, 30, earlier pled guilty to having 17mg of cannabis in his blood when the limit is 2mg per 100ml.
But when his case was called in Oban Sheriff Court he was nowhere to be seen.
Dudzic was first arrested on April 5 2024 and has turned up for every court hearing and has attended his criminal justice social work report meetings.
‘Everyone else has bothered to turn up’
While his defence agent requested a two-week extension for him to appear, Sheriff Euan Cameron took a different stance.
He said: “Everyone else has bothered to turn up.”
A warrant was issued for Dudzic’s arrest.
A few hours later, he arrived at court full of apologies, explaining that he now worked night shifts and had overslept.
Dudzic, of Glenfoot Terrace, appeared in time for the afternoon session of court.
Sheriff Cameron told him: “I will withdraw the warrant, but if you are ever in my court again, don’t try your luck.”
Drug driving offence
Procurator fiscal depute Raeesa Ahmed said the facts of the case “spoke for themselves”.
She explained: “At 9.40pm on April 5 2024, a police officer observed the accused in his vehicle and had cause to request a drug test.
“The roadside test returned a positive result for cannabis.”
Dudzic was taken to Oban Police Station, where a blood test confirmed the presence of the drug in his system.
Defence agent Jane MacNiven said: “Mr Dudzic is 30 years old and lives alone.
“He was previously employed as a delivery driver but has since found alternative work at a fish farm, where he now works night shifts.
“Mr Dudzic was born and raised in Poland but has family in Oban. The move here has been positive for him.”
‘You put innocent members of the public at risk’
Sheriff Cameron said: “Had you struck someone and killed them with this level of cannabis in your system, you would be looking at eight or nine years in prison.
“It is clear the cannabis had been recently taken. It is an utterly selfish and deplorable thing to do.
“You put innocent members of the public at risk. This is a serious example of drug driving.
“As a direct alternative to custody, you will be subject to a one-year supervision order with two punitive elements.
“You will complete 120 hours of unpaid work within 12 months, and your licence will be revoked for 19 months.”
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