Husband drove drunk after ‘absolute fright’

Man got behind wheel after phone call telling him his wife had been rushed to Ninewells Hospital

An Angus husband who got behind the wheel while almost four times above the drink-drive limit after hearing his wife had been hurt was caught by the same police who had just helped her to hospital.

Ronald Haldane had gone home without his spouse from a funeral wake in Arbroath last month.

He panicked when he was woken in the early hours to be told she had been taken to hospital and jumped in his Mercedes.

The 62-year-old mechanic then realised his mistake but Forfar Sheriff Court heard it was too late because police had spotted his erratic drinkdriving.

Depute fiscal Laura Mcgillvery said: “Around 2.20am, police on routine patrol saw a white Mercedes perform a U-turn in the middle of the road.

“It accelerated at speed, having to avoid a van parked on the near side and continued to be driven in an erratic manner, failing to stop at a give way.”

The fiscal said blue lights were

“When I did the U-turn I realised I shouldn’t have been driving and turned around. RONALD HALDANE

activated by the police and Haldane gave a positive breath test, before being taken to Arbroath police office where his alcohol reading was 82 microgrammes against a legal limit of 22.

The accused, of Bernard Crescent, Arbroath, represented himself in court and pled guilty to the charge of driving in various streets with excess alcohol on January 11.

“I had been at a funeral during the day, took the car home and walked back to the wake,” he told the court.

“I met friends and had drink there, and then went down town and met my wife, had drinks and went home.”

He said he got a phone call around 1am saying his wife had been rushed to Ninewells.

“I didn’t know what had happened, I just got an absolute fright. I jumped in the car, I don’t know why,” he added.

“When I did the U-turn I realised I shouldn’t have been driving and turned around.

“I had only gone about half a mile and got about 50 yards from my house.

“I think the police who stopped me had taken my wife to hospital.”

Sheriff Derek Reekie told the accused: “You set off for Ninewells but realised the error of your ways.

“You obviously made a mistake, but police had seen you driving and it is clear you were in no fit state to be behind the wheel.

“I take into account it is your first driving conviction, apart from a minor speeding offence, in 33 years.”

Haldane was fined £600 and banned from driving for 12 months.