A drink-driver who was found to be three times the limit at Peterhead’s Lido assaulted a police officer after trying to speed off.
Donatas Grigas, 21, had been drinking with family during the evening of September 16 this year when he decided to go for a drive.
A concerned relative rang the police after he left the gathering at around 1.20am.
The court heard that police traced Grigas inside his blue Citroen C4 parked at the Lido car park on Peterhead’s South Road shortly before 2am.
Officers smashed window
Fiscal depute Stephanie Cardo explained that officers had at first thought Grigas may need an ambulance as he was “slouched” in the driver’s seat of the car.
“He had locked himself inside,” Mrs Cardo continued. “The officers knocked on the window and could see he was not moving much.
“They used their baton to break the window. At that point he sat up, put the car in first gear and drove off.”
Officers followed Grigas to Asco Road, where he “came to a sudden stop”.
Mrs Cardo said: “And he stated to them ‘you will need to make me get out of this f*****g car’.
“[Grigas] took off his seat belt and hit his door against one of the officer’s hands.”
The officer’s hand became trapped between the driver’s door and another vehicle causing injury to her hand, the court heard.
Over the limit
A breath test carried out showed Grigas was three times the legal limit.
Grigas admitted failing to stop, drink-driving and assaulting a police officer. A further charge of driving dangerously and hitting a bollard was dropped.
Grigas’ defence solicitor Sam Milligan said his client had no previous convictions and this had been “clearly out of character”.
He added: “This was a gross error of judgment.”
Sheriff David Harvie told Grigas getting behind the wheel had been a “terrible choice”.
He said: “You put yourself at risk, the police officers at risk and any members of the public who were in the area that night when you were driving around.”
On the drink-driving charge, Sheriff Harvie disqualified Grigas for 14 months due to the “high level” of his breathalyser reading and imposed a community payback order of 70 hours of unpaid work.
“The police officers were only trying to help you,” he continued. “They thought you needed medical attention.
“The way you acted was terrible.”
He fined Grigas £320 for the assault on the police officer saying it had been a “catastrophic error of judgment” and said he would benefit from carrying out the Drink Driving Rehabilitation Scheme.
Grigas, of Swan Road, Ellon, was admonished for the charge of failing to stop.