Caithness man banned from road
David Brown (51), of Alda House, Nybster, by Keiss, Caithness, was stopped by police while heading north on the A9 at the Mound near Golspie around 9pm on Friday 8th May.
Officers were acting on a tip-off from another motorist who was concerned about the manner in which Brown’s vehicle was being driven, Tain Sheriff Court was told today.
Stewart MacIver, prosecuting, said: “The accused was very unsteady on his feet and had difficult standing. One of the officers had to support him.”
Brown consented to a road-side breath test which showed him to have 73 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, well above the legal limit of 22 in 100.
But he was “uncooperative” when asked to provide another two specimens of breath at Burnett Road Police Station, Inverness.
Mr MacIver said: “He was given every opportunity but simply refused to cooperate with regard to police procedure and providing two specimens of breath.”
Brown, a first offender with a clean driving licence, admitted the offence.
Defence agent Aileen MacInnes said that Brown had “finally tipped over the edge” on the day in question.
She said: “He has been someone who in the past has always been employed in responsible, well paid positions but a year ago he started to come unstuck.
“He moved from steady employment to a new job which did not work out – a contract was not signed and as a consequence Mr Brown and his family decided to move north.
“Mr Brown secured other employment but he was really now, with the benefit of hindsight, in the process of having a nervous breakdown.
“On the day in question he was travelling back from a meeting in Glasgow and had been drinking on the way.”
Ms MacInnes said her client did not actually refuse to take a breath test but spent so long complaining to police about marks on his wrists from handcuffs that eventually “time ran out”.
She said he had since been trying to address his problems and had been admitted to hospital for a “de-tox”. He had also made arrangements to see a counsellor.
“There is a plan in place for him to deal with the underlying problems which have led this man at this stage in his life to appear before the court,” said the lawyer.
“Mr Brown has reached the bottom and the only way he can now go, hopefully, is up.”
Sheriff Brian Cameron refused a Crown motion for the forfeiture of Brown’s 10-year-old car, valued at £3000, after hearing it was needed by his wife.
