A mum-of-two who got behind the wheel of a car during lockdown while under the influence of cannabis has been banned from the road.
Carol Charles was almost three times the legal cannabis drive limit when she drove along A90 between Ellon and Aberdeen on May 12, 2020.
The unemployed 29-year-old was pulled over by police near Ellon as part of a random check before officers noticed she was clearly under the influence of drink or drugs.
Police noticed her pupils were restricted
She gave a roadside breath test which found she had 5.6microgrammes of cannabis per litre of blood in her system, the legal limit being 2.
Fiscal depute Carol Gammie told Aberdeen Sheriff Court: “Officers stopped the vehicle for a routine check at around 1pm and when speaking with the accused noticed her pupils were restricted and they suspected this was down to drug use. A roadside drug test showed positive for cannabis.”
This was confirmed by a blood test.
Defence agent Neil McRobert said Charles had “used drugs in the past year” and accepts she was driving on the day in question. He added there was no criticism of the manner in which she was driving.
‘Irresponsible behaviour’
Sheriff Margaret Hodge, however, branded her “a danger to others”.
She added: “I see that you have two children and I assume that you realise how irresponsible you were in driving in that condition.
“You were a danger to yourself and everyone else.”
She banned Charles, of Aberdeen’s Mosman Place, from the road for one year and fined her £400.