Gamer was three times drink drive limit after boozing all night
A gamer who stayed up all night drinking was caught driving by cops at more than three times over the legal limit.
Kerr McMahon, 21, had been playing Call of Duty while downing booze at the home he shares with his partner in Paisley town centre.
The town’s sheriff court heard the plumbing and heating engineer feared a row with his girlfriend and got behind the wheel of his Vauxhall Corsa and went out for a drive on March 27, when he was stopped by the police at Candren Road, Linwood, at around 12.35pm.
Procurator fiscal depute Andrew Brown said: “Police constables spoke to the accused at the roadside and asked him if he had drank alcohol in the last 20 minutes.
“He replied, ‘Not in the last 20 minute’s. ‘ But I will have alcohol in my system because I didn’t stop drinking until 7am this morning.’”
McMahon failed a roadside breath-test and was told he was under arrest, to which he replied: “I arrest you.”
The court heard he was taken to the police station where he remarked to cops: “This is what I get for staying up all night playing Call of Duty.
“I know I shouldn’t drink and drive, but I had to get out of the house.
“Me and the missus were going to argue.” He pleaded guilty to a charge of driving where the proportion of alcohol on his breath was 71 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath, and the legal limit is 22mcg.
Defence agent Michael McKeown said his client admitted making a “serious error of judgement”.
He said: “He accepts he had been drinking into the early hours of the morning and at around noon he fell out with his partner.
“He has accepted responsibility for this and he knows he shouldn’t have done it.
“He has no previous convictions, but he was employed as a plumber and heating engineer.
“He has lost his job as a result of this conviction and he is awaiting a claim for Universal Credit.”
The lawyer added McMahon “fully appreciates how stupid he behaved,” and understood he would be disqualified from driving.
Sheriff Tom McCartney told him: “It is important to note the level of alcohol exceeded the legal limit by three times.
“I will deal with this matter by imposing a fine and a period of disqualification.”
He fined him £500, reduced from £750, because of his plea of guilty at the earliest opportunity.
He was also banned from the roads for 14 months, reduced from 20 months, because of his early admission of guilt.
It’s what I get for playing Call of Duty all night