A man has been banned from the road after crashing his car into a ditch while unfit to drive through drugs.
Guy Case, 45, had diazepam and morphine in his system when he crashed his car into a ditch on the B979 Stonehaven to Netherley road near Glithno.
A passerby spotted Case and stopped to help, but alerted police when she realised he was intoxicated.
The incident happened on January 3 last year.
Fiscal depute Lynne MacVicar told Aberdeen Sheriff Court: “A member of the public saw the accused’s vehicle crashed into a ditch at the locus at 4.30pm, with the accused standing outside.
“The member of the public collected her sister from the train station and came back and offered the accused assistance.
“Police attended at her request. She suspected him to be somewhat intoxicated.”
When officers arrived they found Case was slurring his words and was unable to walk in straight line.
Tests found diazepam and morphine in Case’s system.
He pled guilty to a charge of driving while unfit to do so through drink or drugs, and also to possession of 0.55g of heroin on a separate occasion on July 12, 2019.
Defence agent Debbie Ginniver said: “A lot of this is to do with previous past trauma that he has never dealt with. He accepts it’s about time he got help.
“When going through a difficult time he resorts to using illicit substances to mask how he’s feeling.”
Sheriff Graham Buchanan handed Case, of Slug Road, Stonehaven, 12 months supervision, a £470 fine and an 18-month driving ban.
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