A disqualified driver who caught the eye of police when he made a U-turn in front of a patrol vehicle has been handed an eight-year roads ban.
Christopher Murray performed the manoeuvre in front of officers on mobile patrol, causing them to activate their blue lights and stop him.
But they later discovered that he was already on a driving ban, and tracked down his vehicle, which now was being driven by a woman with no insurance.
Murray, 38, pled guilty to one charge of driving while disqualified and a second of causing or permitting the woman to use a vehicle without valid insurance.
Fiscal depute Naomi Duffy-Welsh told Tain Sheriff Court the charges, which relate to incidents on Firhill, Alness, on February 9 and 14 of last year, “mostly speak for themselves”.
Disqualified driver ‘did a 180’
She said: “Police were on mobile patrol. Their attention was brought to the accused who did a 180 in the road in front of them.
“They activated their blue lights to stop the car. The accused was the sole occupant.”
Enquiries made after this stop revealed that Murray was in fact a disqualified driver and police traced the vehicle.
At this point it was being driven by the woman in the second charge, with Murray as a passenger.
Eight-year ban for driver with ‘poor record’
Solicitor Rory Gowans. for Murray, said his client has “a poor record, particularly for this kind of behaviour.”
However, he explained that Murray was now a father – a change in circumstances that he believed was having a positive effect.
Sheriff Gary Aitken placed Murray, of Firhill, Alness on a community payback order with 160 hours of unpaid work and handed him an eight-year driving ban
After that period, Murray will be required to sit and pass an extended test before being allowed back on the roads.
