Lottery millionaire banned for drink-drive crash

A £10 million lottery winner from Tayside has admitted drink-driving after he caused a crash while he was heading home from the pub.

Jake Bowman, 61, of Dunnichen Road, Kingsmuir, Forfar, was banned from the road for 12 months and fined £500.

Bowman was driving the wrong way when he hit another vehicle head-on.

Solicitor Stephen McLaren told Forfar Sheriff Court his client was “thoroughly ashamed”and “deeply remorseful” about the accident on the road between Kingsmuir and Forfar on April 8.

The court heard the collision happened at around 10.30pm.

Depute fiscal Stewart Duncan said witness Chloe Forbes was driving along the B9128 and as she approached Forfar she saw Bowman’s vehicle entering her side of the road.

Mr Duncan said: “She feared a collision and applied the brakes. Both vehicles collided and witness Forbes’s vehicle was spun in the opposite direction of travel.”

Bowman was breath-tested and his reading was 111 mics. The legal limit is 22 mics.

He was taken to police HQ in Bell Street, Dundee, where he then provided a lower reading of 92 mics.

His defence agent described the multi-millionaire as “retired” and said his client had an unblemished 40-year driving record.

A plea of not guilty to dangerous driving was accepted.

The former St Johnstone youth player scooped his life-changing prize in April 2016 when he netted £10,317,199.

Jake Bowman