A drink-driving boy racer from Aberdeen who ignored passengers’ pleas to slow down before crashing into a tree has been spared jail.
Matthew Hogg’s solicitor said his client had made some of the “worst decisions of his life” on the night of the crash near Lossiemouth.
Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald commented that it was fortunate the collision had not killed anyone.
Hogg, 21, appeared for sentencing at Inverness Sheriff Court, having previously admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving, as well as drink-driving and driving without insurance.
At an earlier hearing, fiscal depute Susan Love told the court that, on February 12 2022, Hogg offered to take a group of teenagers for a “spin” in his car and came to pick them up.
Hogg sped, went through a red light and skidded the car around corners before he crashed
She said: “The accused proceeded to drive around the Lossiemouth area.
“The accused drove in a dangerous manner on various roads in and around Lossiemouth, travelling at 60mph in a built-up area, contravening a red traffic signal and attempting to cause the rear of the vehicle to skid at corners.”
The court heard Hogg was asked to slow down on “numerous occasions” and refused to let one of the passengers out of the car when they asked, stating: “I know what I’m doing.”
But, as he drove along an unclassified road between Pitairlie Farm Cottages and Pitgavenny Cottages at high speed, Hogg lost control of the vehicle and collided head-on with a tree.
Emergency services were called, but when they arrived, all the occupants were outside of the “extensively damaged” car.
Hogg denied he had been behind the wheel, claiming the actual driver had “made off” from the scene, but his story was contradicted by his passengers who identified him as the driver.
He then failed a roadside breath test for alcohol and further testing revealed his level to be 31mcg per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 22mcg.
He was later cautioned and charged.
‘AÂ series of the worst decisions of his life’
One passenger, who suffered a fractured wrist and seat belt injuries, needed a cast for three weeks.
Another required a sling for six weeks to treat a broken clavicle and was left with a “large bony lump” after it had healed.
A third passenger suffered soft tissue damage to his arm, and the fourth was transferred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary suffering from a ruptured and bleeding in his abdominal wall.
He now has a permanent scar as a result of emergency surgery.
At the sentencing hearing, defence solicitor Matthew O’Neill told the court that his
client had been doing a favour for a friend but had consumed alcohol before picking up his passengers.
“These were a series of the worst decisions of his life, made without thought for any consequences – the largest positive being that they were not more severe,” he said.
‘We are lucky we are not dealing with fatalities today’
Sheriff MacDonald told Hogg: “We are lucky we are not dealing with fatalities today. It is shocking, the driving here. Whatever state of mind you were in, I have no idea.”
The sheriff acknowledged a social work report that suggested Hogg had “turned his life around” and, as an alternative to prison, ordered Hogg to carry out 210 hours
of unpaid work.
She also placed him under supervision for a year and banned him from driving for three years.
Hogg, of John Street, Aberdeen, will have to pass an extended driving test before he can regain his driving licence.
For all the latest court cases in Inverness as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.
