A former Inverness man has been jailed after he was caught drink-driving for the third time.
Anthony Rudman, 28, appeared in the dock at Inverness Sheriff Court where he admitted to being more than double the drink-drive limit when he struck a kerb and caused an accident involving another car.
A sheriff described Rudman’s driving that night as “appalling” as he sped along the A96 towards Nairn with a passenger in his car.
Rudman, previously of Croy Road, Tornagrain but now of Carlisle, will be banned from the roads for four years upon his release from prison.
Rudman was driving at ‘excessive speed’
Fiscal depute Pauline Gair told the court that Rudman was driving on the A96 on the evening of October 7 last year.
“He had a passenger in the car and passed multiple cars at excessive speed,” she said.
“It was extremely wet conditions with heavy rain involved and he was involved in a collision.
“It was thought he had aqua-planed and hit another vehicle on the opposite carriageway.
“But another witness said he had taken the corner too fast and hit a kerb.”
Rudman later admitted to police that he’d “had a few beers” before getting behind the wheel.
When breathalysed Rudman gave a reading of 51 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 22mg.
“The other motorist suffered minor injuries.” Mrs Gair added.
In the dock, Rudman pleaded guilty to dangerous driving while under the influence of alcohol.
A ‘dangerous course of driving’
Defence solicitor Laura-Jane McFarlane told the court that Rudman “knows the difficult position he is in as this is his third drink-driving conviction” and that her client was aware “how dangerous his driving was”.
“The injuries could have been more excessive,” she added.
Sheriff Sara Matheson told Rudman: “This was a dangerous course of driving with the background of two recent previous convictions for drink-driving.
“The A96 is a notorious road, and the standard of your driving was appalling.”
Sheriff Matheson jailed Rudman for seven months and banned him from driving for the next four years.