Motorist lost control and hit front of house
A drunken businessman caused thousands of pounds worth of damage when he lost control of his van and careered into the front door of a house in Bridge of Earn.
The owner of the property - at 13 Durley Dene Crescent felt the whole building shake and cracks were discovered on internal and external walls.
Neighbours, who heard the loud bang, went out to assist and saw 46-year-old Graham Young“shouting and swearing incoherently while running up and down the street.”
At one point he threw himself to the ground before holding his hands up and saying:“It was me that done it.”
He then tried to run off, Perth Sheriff Court was told.
“The accused seemed to be staggering and struggling to walk in a straight line,”stated depute fiscal Bill Kermode.
The police were alerted but when officers traced him he attempted to headbutt one of them.
He was put through the drink/driving procedure - and was still almost four times over the legal booze limit several hours later.
Sheriff Neil Bowie told him: “This was extremely reckless conduct.”
But Young, who runs his own roofing business, was spared a jail sentence.
Instead, he was fined £900, banned for 27 months and ordered to complete 90 hours of unpaid work.
In addition, he will have to pay the home owner £500 compensation.
Sheriff Bowie said:“Clearly this isn’t reflective of the damage but will be some sort of acknowledgement towards the distress caused.”
Young had originally been charged with dangerous driving but had a guilty plea accepted to driving carelessly.
He failed to keep proper control of his van and collided with the house on February 15, 2020.
Tests showed he had 86 microgrammes of alcohol on his breath - the maximum allowed is 22 - and he had no insurance cover.
He also shouted and swore in Durley Dene Crescent and Paradise Avenue, acted aggressively and shouted racial remarks.
His unruly behaviour continued when he attempted to headbutt PC Steven Cochrane in Paradise Avenue the same day.
Mr Kermode said neighbours saw the blue van, with ladders on the roof, driving at what they thought was“excessive speed.”
The vehicle could be heard “revving at a high volume”in a residential street where children often played.
Around 5pm the van failed to negotiate a bend and ended up striking the house.
When the owner went to the front door, it was standing ajar because of the force of the impact.
A breath sample was taken from the accused about 8.45pm, almost four hours after the smash.
Solicitor David Holmes said Young had been in a relationship which had ended in February and that was the “catalyst”for his drinking.
“He had a sort of emotional breakdown and has sought help from his doctor.”
The accused, of Milton Street, Dundee, had his lengthy disqualification backdated to October 29 when he had first been banned.