A man caught behind the wheel while more than five-times the drink-drive limit has been fined £1040 and banned from the roads for 16 months.
Leigh Hull had been visiting his mother-in-law on New Year’s Day when police officers spotted his car crawling along the A836 near Bettyhill.
The manner of his driving raised suspicions and he was stopped, breathalysed and found to be considerably over the limit.
Tain Sheriff Court heard he had a breath alcohol reading of 117 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit is 22 micrograms.
Hull, 33, pled guilty to a single charge of drink-driving when he appeared at court in January.
At that hearing fiscal depute Hilary Michopoulou told the court Hull’s vehicle had been spotted at around 5.30pm.
She said: “The police noticed the accused driving at a very low speed. His manner of driving caused them to speak to him in his car.”
HGV technician Hull was then taken to Wick Police Station and tested.
Solicitor Rory Gowans, for Hull, told the court at that time that his client was not a habitual drinker saying: “As a rule, he doesn’t drink.”
Drink-driver had ‘no explanation’
He said: “He has no explanation as to how or why he ended up behind the wheel.”
Hull, of Red Houses, High Etherly in County Durham, was excused from attending the sentencing at Tain Sheriff Court, which had been deferred for the production of pre-sentencing reports.
Appearing on Hull’s behalf Mr Gowans said his client had made a ‘stupid’ choice to drive after drinking and told the court: “My recollection was that they had gone to see his mother-in-law and he needed to get out of the house.”
He reminded Sheriff Gary Aitken of father-of-two Hull’s employment as a lorry mechanic and the importance of a driving licence to that role.
Drink-driver disqualified
Sheriff Gary Aitken issued a fine of £1040 and banned Hull from the roads for 16 months, allowing him the option of participating in a drink-drive rehabilitation course, which would reduce the length of his disqualification by four months.
At the previous hearing he told Hull: “Given your previous conviction and particularly because of the high breath alcohol reading, this is a very serious matter. ”
