A man has been fined after driving a dumper truck around the construction site of a new north-east school with his pal in the bucket.
Gregor Christie, 19, and a mate who has yet to be identified by prosecutors, entered the building site of Inverurie Academy before taking the vehicle for a drive.
With the other male sitting in the bucket with his legs hanging out, Christie drove the truck around the site, crashing into construction materials and narrowly missing colliding with the main building.
Fiscal depute Lucy Simpson told Aberdeen Sheriff Court: “At around 2.30am the accused attended at the locus with an unidentified male.
“The accused entered the driver’s seat of a dumper truck at the locus, while the unknown male entered the bucket of the vehicle sitting there with legs hanging out of the front.
“The accused then drove the vehicle around the construction site in a reckless manner with various bumps and causing the vehicle to bounce and thereafter crashed into construction materials left on the site.
“He continued to drive in this manner for several minutes, nearly colliding with the main building and narrowly avoiding crushing the legs of the male against the building.”
The incident, which was caught on CCTV, triggered an alarm.
Christie, of Taylor Place, Inverurie, previously pled guilty to culpable and reckless conduct and breaching the terms of an antisocial behaviour order.
Defence agent Michael Horsman said his client had no other matters outstanding, adding Christie had “managed to keep out of trouble for a while”.
Sheriff Graham Buchanan fined Christie £400.
Following the court case, an Aberdeenshire Council spokeswoman said: “Members of the public should not enter a construction site without authorisation.
“Unauthorised individuals risk causing injury to themselves and others, in addition to risking damages to the site. Anyone witnessing suspicious behaviour on a construction site should contact the police immediately.”
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