Taxi driver obstructed emergency vehicles

Police responding to an emergency were deliberately delayed

A taxi driver blocked police and raced them as they sped through city streets in response to a 999 call.

Colin McFarlane, from Bridge of Earn, obstructed two police cars and a van on May 1 last year as they tried to carry out an emergency response in Perth.

The city’s sheriff court was told McFarlane, 49, had a grudge against the police following an earlier incident.

The court was told his driving was so obstructive that the third police vehicle gave up trying to get past him because it was too dangerous.

Depute fiscal Stuart Richardson told the court: “At 1.10am there was a call from police control about a violent incident taking place.

“Three police vehicles were on patrol in the city centre.

“Two cars and a van all decided to head in the direction of where the disturbance was taking place.

“The van driver was in Feus Road when he noticed Mr McFarlane’s taxi in front of him.

“He put on blue flashing lights and sirens, expecting Mr McFarlane to move to the side of the road. He didn’t.”

He continued: “It became a case of the police vehicle trying to overtake the taxi and he had to increase his speed to 50mph to eventually get past Mr McFarlane. Another police car came up behind him, again with blue lights flashing and siren activated.

“Again, the driver decided she would overtake, as he was not changing his position in the road.

McFarlane was not stopped at the time because the officers were all busy dealing with the violent incident, but he was traced later in the day.

Solicitor Paul Ralph, defending, said McFarlane had been given points previously after pulling through a red light to let officers past – only for them to slow down and charge him instead.

“They booked him for running a red light. That has had a bearing on this,” Mr Ralph said.

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis noted McFarlane already had six penalty points on his licence and imposed a further eight, making him liable to be banned under totting up procedures.

He fined the taxi driver £500 and deferred sentence to hear mitigation in regard to disqualification.