A driver found himself in the dock after he was caught on dashcam overtaking on a blind bend on the A9.
Traffic management worker Ricky Stuart admitted a single charge of dangerous driving in relation to the incident on February 21 of this year.
Sheriff Neil Wilson told Stuart: “You could have killed somebody,” after hearing of the risky manoeuvre on the road near Portgower.
The defence solicitor told the court her client “made a mistake”.
Stuart, 38, appeared at Tain Sherrif Court to admit a charge of dangerous driving.
Fiscal depute David Morton told the court it was around 3.50pm when Stuart’s black Audi was noticed by a witness on the A9 at Portgower heading north.
Dangerous overtake on A9 ‘blind bend’
He said the car performed an overtake at a section of the road where the road markings banned the manoeuvre, describing the scene as a “blind bend”.
Mr Morton said: “Thankfully there was no vehicle passing and Mr Stuart was able to complete his overtake,” noting that a car did pass in the opposite lane soon after.
The incident was caught on dashcam by a witness – who passed the footage to police.
“It captured in full the dangerous overtake performed by Mr Stuart,” Mr Morton said.
Stuart’s solicitor Laura-Jane McFarlane said: “He was in a hurry and made a mistake by doing that overtake.”
‘This could have been far, far worse’
She said Stuart, who works in traffic management for the highways authority, was going to be allowed to keep his job in spite of his conviction.
Addressing Stuart, of Shelligoe Road, Lybster, Sheriff Wilson said: “This could have been far, far worse – you could have killed somebody.”
He fined the dangerous driver £520 and banned him from the roads for a year, after which he will have to sit and pass the extended test to regain his licence.