Drink driver avoids being sent to prison

A man who drove an uninsured car while more than three times over the drink driving limit narrowly avoided being sent to prison.

Christopher Millar, 36, of 18 Cara View, Tayinloan, was sentenced at Campbeltown Sheriff Court last Thursday, having previously pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle on the A83 between Tayinloan and Campbeltown with 203 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of urine, exceeding the 67 milligramme limit, with no insurance policy in place.

Procurator fiscal depute Eoin McGinty told the court that an anonymous call was made to police on September 2 last year to say that Millar, who was known to be in a drunken state in Tayinloan, had decided to drive to Campbeltown.

Police passed Millar’s vehicle and turned to follow it, noticing that it was ‘meandering’ and slightly crossing the road’s centre line.

Millar failed the roadside breath test and was found to have no insurance to drive the vehicle.

Defence agent Mr Wright said Millar knew a custodial sentence was a possibility and he presented a letter, written by Millar’s partner, to Sheriff Patrick Hughes which detailed the difficulties his imprisonment would cause her.

Mr Wright said although Millar’s previous convictions were ‘many and varied’, he had been largely trouble-free since 2012 and that his decision to drive while drunk was a ‘misjudgement’.

Sheriff Hughes said: ‘This is a serious matter which exposed other road users to risk had there been an accident.’

Sheriff Hughes said the threshold for a custodial sentence had been reached, given Millar’s record, but due to the contents of the letter, he imposed a community packback order as a direct alternative to jail.

He ordered Millar to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work within 12 months, and to remain under the supervision of the social work department for that time. He also banned Millar from holding or obtaining a driving licence for 16 months.