Road rampage nurse hit with a driving ban
A nurse who drove so dangerously he forced other motorists to swerve out of his way has been banned from the roads.
Michael Donnelly, 34, a registered mental health nurse, also faces disciplinary sanctions from health bosses after he crashed into a parked car and later refused to give a breath sample for cops.
Donnelly appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court on Tuesday for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving in Hairst Street, Paisley Road and Victoria Drive East, Renfrew.
He drove on the opposite carriageway, forcing other motorists to take evasive action to avoid collision, veered across lanes, mounted the kerb at speed, and struck a stationary car, causing damage.
He also admitted refusing to provide samples of breath for analysis.
The court was told Donnelly was caught on CCTV crashing his Vauxhall
Astra into a stationary car on the morning of August 22.
The vehicle’s owner reported this to cops, who traced Donnelly to this home, where they spotted his damaged Astra parked outside.
Donnelly, of Kirkfield Gardens, Renfrew, decided to drive home while believed to be under the influence when his wife, who was a passenger in the car, was so drunk she passed out.
On Tuesday, defence agent Urfan Dar said: “This will have an impact on his employment as a mental health nurse as relevant notification has been sent to his employer that will result in a disciplinary hearing soon.
“The circumstances surrounding that night involved the severe intoxication of his partner and he could have handled things better.
“This caused his partner to lose consciousness. This led to him overreacting and attempting to get home.”
Mr Dar said Donnelly, who appeared as a first offender, was “very anxious about this matter”.
He said his client had held a licence for 15 years and it has been clean for the last ten years.
Mr Dar explained: “The collision happened after he had taken a wrong turn and he did a three-point turn in the street where he made contact with a stationary car.”
The lawyer urged the court to show Donnelly leniency given his previous good character coupled with his early plea of guilty.
Sheriff Bruce Erroch QC told him: “Cars were forced to take evasive action because of the manner of your driving.
“Police attended your home and they thought at that point you had been drinking, but you refused to provide a breath sample.
“You should have known better than to place your wife, yourself and other road users at risk of serious harm.
“You compounded your actions by refusing to give samples of your breath to police.”
He fined Donnelly a total of £1,040 and banned him from the roads for a year. He was also ordered to resit the extended test of competency before getting behind the wheel again.