A drink-driving offshore worker was almost five times the alcohol limit when he was found by the police with one shoe missing.
Officers caught Gary Hastie sitting drunk behind the wheel outside a hotel near Aberdeen airport in Dyce on December 6 last year.
The 38-year-old marine engineer had unsuccessfully attempted to exit the Leonardo Hotel car park so he could drive back home to Annan in Dumfries and Galloway.
When he failed to negotiate the car park barriers, Hastie sought help from the hotel receptionist after dumping his grey Audi A4 at the exit around 2.50am.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court later imposed a road ban and a fine for his antics.
Caught on CCTV camera
Fiscal depute Sofia Ramzan told Sheriff Morag McLaughlin that the receptionist could smell alcohol and considered Hastie’s speech to be slurred.
The hotel employee called the police after he was captured by a CCTV camera getting back into his car.
“She monitored him on the CCTV,” Ms Ramzan said, adding: “She watched him enter the car park walking towards his car.
“He got into the driver’s seat but could not exit the car park because the barrier was still down.”
Hastie was ‘unsteady, smelled of alcohol and was wearing only one shoe’
The police arrived just after 3am and Ms Ramzan explained they observed Hastie still sitting in the driver’s seat of his car.
He was ordered to get out of the vehicle.
“Hastie was seen to be unsteady on his feet, smelled strongly of alcohol and was seen to be wearing only one shoe,” Ms Ramzan said.
“The police officers tried to hold the accused to prevent him from escaping, but he tensed up and began acting in an abusive manner.”
The court heard the officers tried to handcuff Hastie, however, he tensed his arms and body and at one point “squared up” to one of them.
Guilty pleas to the charges
Hastie was eventually taken to the police custody suite in Kittybrewster where he gave a reading of 109mcg of alcohol in his breath, almost five times the legal limit of 22mcg.
Appearing in the dock, Hastie pled guilty to the drink-driving charge.
He also admitted to carrying out the offences of resisting arrest and behaving in a threatening manner by “squaring up” to an officer.
Hastie’s defence agent Emma Bruce said her client had been working offshore and was on his way home after being told a family member had been diagnosed with a terminal illness.
News of a relative’s terminal illness drove Hastie to drink, lawyer claims
“They had been given three months to live and Mr Hastie had gone off the deep end,” Ms Bruce explained.
“He was trying to numb the effects with alcohol. He had been drinking at the hotel.
“He can’t say why he chose to then drive, but he was not able to exit the car park and did not drive any further after all.
“He has now self-referred himself for alcohol dependency help and is embarrassed about this and about coming to court. He apologises.”
Sheriff McLaughlin disqualified Hastie, of Fieldside, Annan, Dumfriesshire, for 24 months for the drink-driving offence and fined him £1,000.
She admonished him for the threatening behaviour but fined him a further £600 plus a victim surcharge of £75 for resisting arrest.
He was ordered to pay a total fine of £1,675 at the rate of £100 per month.
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