A man who drove his uninsured van to Inverness with a machete in his vehicle was caught by police following a traffic stop.
Blair McDonald was pulled over by officers on Old Town Road in Hilton on November 13 last year.
A search of his vehicle led to the discovery of the long blade and a check of the Police National Computer (PNC) revealed the van he had been driving was not insured.
McDonald, 34, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit having a bladed or sharply pointed article in a public place and driving without insurance.
Fiscal depute Adele Gray told the court it was around 3.10pm when McDonald’s van was stopped on Old Town Road, Hilton.
Joiner told police ‘he used the machete for fencing’
The prosecutor said: “Police witnesses had cause to lawfully stop and search the accused’s vehicle. While they were searching, they recovered a black machete.”
Ms Gray said McDonald was cautioned and charged and told officers “he used the machete for fencing”.
She added: “A police national computer check confirmed that there was not a valid insurance policy in place.”
Defence solicitor David Patterson, representing McDonald, said his client was a self-employed joiner who had travelled to Inverness on a “social trip” on the day in question.
Van driver ‘forgot’ about machete
Mr Patterson said his client used the machete for “clearing brush away” in the course of his work and “forgot it was there” before travelling for non-work purposes.
“He accepts that he did have it and he had no reasonable excuse,” the lawyer added.
Mr Patterson told the court his client’s business had fallen on hard times with “cash flow issues” at the time of the incident and, as a result, the vehicle insurance payment had bounced – causing the policy to lapse.
“The reason why he was in Inverness was essentially to get away for a break,” Mr Patterson told Sheriff Gary Aitken.
McDonald, of Northwood Close in Glasgow, was fined £640 for possessing the machete and banned from driving for four months as punishment for having no insurance.
For all the latest court cases in Inverness as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.