A man has been banned from the roads for a year after police spotted him on CCTV getting behind the wheel of his car while three times the legal drink-drive limit.
Bogdan Tintila appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday and admitted driving with 66 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
The legal limit is 22mcg.
The court heard that officers had initially approached Tintila in Aberdeen city centre on November 22 and could smell alcohol coming from his breath.
Fiscal depute, Katie Begg, said that, after they had finished their conversation, the police radioed their colleagues in the CCTV department to ask them to watch out for the 33-year-old.
She said, around half an hour later, officers monitoring the cameras noticed Tintila get into his car which was parked on Justice Mill Lane.
He was then seen driving to the Hardgate.
Ms Begg added that the officers who had originally spoken to Tintila were sent to trace him and found him in the driver’s seat of the car.
Representing Tintila yesterday, solicitor Shane Campbell said his client had been working in Aberdeen and had gone out for dinner that evening with some colleagues.
During the meal, he drank three bottles of beer and believed he would be fit to drive as he had eaten a large amount of food.
Mr Campbell said Tintila, of 9 Broadway East, Rotherham, would not lose his job as a result of the conviction, but said he would be moved offices so he will now be further away from his family.
Sheriff Edward Savage said the incident was not only “unfortunate” but “disastrous” for Tintila as his working routine would now completely change.
He disqualified him from driving for one year and fined him £500.