A north-east man who was caught behind the wheel significantly over the legal alcohol limit twice within the space of months has narrowly avoided being sent to prison.
Andrew Webster appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to a pair of drink-driving offences.
The 64-year-old was first reported to police in November when the nature of his driving at the Tesco car park on Castle Road in Ellon sparked concerns.
He was found to have 110 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, five times the legal limit of 22mcg.
Then, on May 2, he was seen “swerving all over” Craigs Road in the town and failed a roadside breath test after the police were called.
Webster, of Tarves, later provided a reading of 171mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath – nearly eight times the legal limit.
Webster’s defence lawyer, Stuart Beveridge, explained that his client had struggled with a serious drinking problem since his wife fell into poor health.
Mr Beveridge said: “Since this incident, he has taken steps to address his alcohol problem and continues to do so gradually.
“The catalyst for these incidents was his wife, who suffered an aneurysm, and she is now the main concern as a result of these high readings.
“She is unable to use public transport due to her mobility and they live in the country.”
In sentencing Webster, Sheriff Andrew Miller said that he had come close to sending him to jail, adding that he “placed others at tremendous risk of danger” as a result of his decision to get behind the wheel on both occasions.
However, he decided to impose 225 hours of unpaid work after Mr Beveridge pleaded for his client to be spared prison, and banned Webster from the road for 21 months.
It was also ordered that Webster’s Mazda Hatchback, worth about £2,000, be forfeited to the court.