Sergeant guilty of drink driving

AN ARMY sergeant major has been fined £2,000 and had his driving licence endorsed with 10 penalty points after pleading guilty to drink driving.

Matthew William John McHale, 41, from Glossop, appeared in Fort William Sheriff Court last Thursday, February 2.

The court heard McHale appeared ‘ drunk’ when he was seen leaving the Clachaig Inn, Glencoe, on March 26, 2016. The police were contacted and arrived just before 1am.

McHale was found to have 237mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, exceeding the limit of 50mg in 100ml of blood – more than four times over the limit.

The court heard McHale had come to the area with his brother to go climbing.

It was claimed in court that McHale ‘ would not be able to maintain his job’ if he lost his licence.

Sheriff William Taylor handed out the fine and points but added McHale's character references had been ‘extremely glowing’.