A police officer accused of being drunk in charge of her car in a police headquarters car park has had the case against her dropped.
Fiscal depute Sharon Ralph told Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday that the charge against 51-year-old Allison Heap was being deserted “pro loco et tempore”.
It is a legal term with the English translation of “for the time and place” and although in theory the prosecution could be re-raised at some time in the future, it is extremely rare.
Heap’s lawyer John MacColl said he did not object to Mrs Ralph’s motion. Heap was not present in court.
Mr MacColl had previously indicated to the court that her defence was that there was no likelihood of her driving.
Heap, of the Northern Division of Police Scotland, was breathalysed by other officers at the end of her shift on August 6 and spent a night in the cells.
She was due to to stand trial yesterday.
Mr MacColl said at a previous hearing that he intended calling a defence witness: “The witness will tell the court that arrangements had been made to pick my client up from the car in which she was located. There will also be photographs of text messages exchanged between them.”
The mother of two from Maryburgh was accused of having 100 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, when the limit is 22mcgs.
She had previously admitted driving with excess alcohol again into police headquarters in October last year and is currently disqualified. She was over five times the legal limit.