An NHS dentist from Caithness has been banned from the roads after being caught drug-driving.
Police stopped John Rautenbach’s Silver Mercedes on the A9 at Brora for routine checks.
But when they smelled cannabis they carried out a roadside test that proved positive for the class B drug.
Rautenbach appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court to plead guilty to a single drug-driving charge.
Fiscal depute Adelle Gray told the court that it was around 10.30am when police carrying out checks on the A9 at Brora stopped Rautenbach’s vehicle.
Drug-drive dentist’s car smelled of cannabis
She said: “Immediately on speaking with the accused, the police witnesses could smell cannabis emanating from within the vehicle.”
As a result of this, the officers required Rautenbach to provide a specimen of saliva, which then tested positive for cannabis.
The 67-year-old was then taken to Burnett Road Police Station in Inverness where further testing revealed him to have not less that 5.5 microgrammes of Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol per litre of blood – more than twice the legal limit of 2 microgrammes.
Solicitor Andrew Mackenzie referred to his client as Dr Rautenbach, explaining that he was an NHS dentist who “provides an essential service to the Caithness community”.
Handing Sheriff Robert Frazer a report from an osteopath, he said: “You will see Dr Rautenbach is suffering from severe acute hip pain in the days leading up to the incident.”
Hip pain caused dentist to consume cannabis
Mr MacKenzie continued: “He consumed cannabis the day before because the over-the-counter medication he was taking was not sufficient to allow him to sleep.
“He deeply regrets that decision.”
The defence agent told Sheriff Frazer that the medical professional’s actions were likely to have an impact on both his profession and his patients.
But Sheriff Frazer told Rautenbach, of Braal Castle, Halkirk: “I intend to deal with you the way I would deal with any other offender with this sort of incident.”
He fined Rautenback £520 and disqualified him from driving for 12 months.