A teenager who wanted to join his pals for drinks in Aberdeenshire fled the scene after he crashed his car while drink-driving without a licence.
Connor Anderson’s car hit a fence in Banff town centre after he decided he wanted to drive to Turriff in order to socialise with friends.
But rather than stick around to deal with the consequences the 19-year-old – who was more than double the drink-drive limit – ran away, leaving his car abandoned on the town’s High Street.
Fiscal depute Victoria Kerr said witnesses saw the crash happen at around 1.45am on November 28 last year.
Unsteady on his feet
“He was then seen exiting the driver seat and thereafter running away from the collision,” she said.
“A short time later he was traced nearby by police.
“It was noted he was unsteady on his feet and a strong smell of alcohol was emanating from him.
“He made remarks to the effect of ‘is this to do with the thing down there?’ and pointing towards the crash site and adding ‘I was driving’. He was arrested.”
The teen admitted five driving offences, including driving while under the influence of alcohol, driving with no insurance, no MOT, no L-plates or licence, and failing to stop after an accident.
He gave a breath test reading off 47mg per 100 ml of breath, the legal limit being 22.
Defence agent Stuart Beveridge said his client had decided to go visit friends that were “socialising” out in Turriff.
‘An extremely foolish thing’
“He crashed the car a short spell into that journey,” he said. “He cooperated with police and he accepts it was an extremely foolish thing to have done.”
He said Anderson’s “fairly substantial” debts ruled out a fine as punishment.
Sheriff Robert McDonald told Anderson, of Old School Place, Banff: “I am sure you understand how stupid it was to be drink-driving.
“Be grateful you weren’t hurt when you crashed the car.”
He handed him a community payback order comprising supervision for one year and 100 hours of unpaid work. He also banned him from the roads for 12 months.
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