Drink-drive pole vaulter nearly 5 times over the limit
AN athlete who competed for Scotland in the Commonwealth Games has been banned from driving after being found behind the wheel of his car beside an empty cider bottle.
Pole vaulter Alasdair Strange, 37, was spotted in a retail park slumped in his Audi A1, with his legs ‘dangling out’ of the open door.
A court heard the athlete was approached by a concerned passerby who told him he was in no fit state to drive. Strange agreed – before driving off.
But police found him nearly five times the drink-drive limit in Port Glasgow, Renfrewshire, i n the park-and-ride car park of the town’s railway station, on November 7.
Strange competed for Scotland in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and finished eighth in the pole vault event.
Prosecutor Tanjeel Maleque told Greenock Sheriff Court: ‘A witness observed a black Audi A1 with the driver’s door ajar and the driver’s legs dangling out.
‘Mr Strange was observed to be slumped in his seat. On the ground was a large empty cider bottle and a black iPhone.
‘The accused was asleep and the witness asked if he was OK. He woke and replied, “Fine”.’
Mr Maleque continued: ‘ He was asked if he’d been drinking and he replied, “Aye, a wee bit”.
‘The witness told him he couldn’t drive and he said, “I know”.
‘The witness returned to her vehicle and observed the accused from a distance.
‘She saw him closing his car door and driving off.
‘ She contacted poli c e and attempted to follow the accused but she lost sight of his vehicle.’
Strange, a first offender, pleaded guilty to drink-driving.
The court heard Strange told police: ‘Aye, it was me, I drove down here and had a few drinks – I shouldn’t be driving.’ Strange, of Glasgow, was later found to have 100mcg of alcohol i n 100ml of breath, putting him at more than four-and-a-half times the legal limit of 22mcg.
Defending, David Tod said: ‘This appears to be an aberration other than anything else.
‘He has no criminal convictions and no points on his licence.
‘Mr Strange has a pro-social lifestyle, a good job and is involved in athletics.’
Mr Tod added: ‘He moved the car to get the train home and parked in the car park beside the train station.’
Sheriff Andrew McIntyre added: ‘The aggravating circumstance is that the reading wasn’t just quite high, it was very high.’
Strange was banned from driving for 16 months and ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work.
The athlete was part of the Scotland team that won a total of 26 medals in seven sports at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
There were ten gold medallists, including two double-gold medallists – Jonathan Hammond and Jennifer McIntosh, both for shooting.
Hammond also won a silver and a bronze medal, becoming Scotland’s best-performing athlete in any sport at a single Games.
‘Slumped in his seat’