Mechanic was three times the limit when he was snared by cops

Car expert failed breath test after session the night before

A boozy mechanic had more than one for the road before cops pulled him over for his dodgy driving.

Glen Cunningham, 37, was almost three times the legal limit at the wheel of his Ford Fiesta, when he was stopped and given a breath test.

Paisley Sheriff Court heard Cunningham, who worked in Paisley motor garages as a Ford motor technician for more than 20 years, promptly blew into the breathalyser and was taken into custody on February 2.

Fiscal depute Saud Hassan told the court Cunningham, of Glendower Way, Foxbar, admitted charges of drink driving when he appeared in the dock.

He said: “At around 11.05am on the day in question, police witnesses had reason to stop the vehicle.

“The driver was taken to sit in the rear of the police vehicle.

“Officers noticed a strong smell of alcohol coming from him.

“He was subject to roadside breath test requirements.

“He tested positive for alcohol and was thereafter placed under arrest.”

Cunningham was given two further tests while in police custody, where the lower of the two revealed he recorded a reading of 62 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, where the legal limit is 22mcg.

Defence agent Charlie McCusker said: “This is a fairly tragic case.

“He is 37 and lives with his mother. He was employed as a Ford master technician for 20 years in various Ford franchises in the Paisley area.

“Thereafter, he worked with JGB Motoring Concerns until last October when that employment ended and he developed alcohol dependency problems from then.

“His family is present in court with him. And they are supporting him in his efforts to tackle these alcohol problems.”

Mr McCusker added that police had stopped his client in Main Road, Elderslie, that morning because he was driving too fast and, as he had been drinking the night before, he didn’t realise he was still over the limit.

Sheriff Susan Sinclair told the first offender that she was imposing a hefty fine to mark the gravity of the offence and banning him from the road.

She said: “I will fine £400 for the offence and you will be subject to a period of disqualification lasting 15 months.”