Provisional driver from Banff ran away from police while clutching beer
A Banff man who was seen driving a damaged car at 10mph with the deployed airbags ran away from police while clutching a bottle of beer.
Richard Stuart, 31, appeared by video link from HMP Grampian, where he is currently on remand, to be sentenced for driving his car without insurance or a licence when constables caught up with him on March 23 this year.
He also admitted to not complying with the drink-driving procedures after he was caught with a beer when trying to make his escape from the scene.
The court was told he only did that because he felt aggrieved after one officer kneed him in the groin during his arrest.
He will now be banned from driving for 40 months.
Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin said officers spotted Stuart's car, a silver Vauxhall Corsa, driving through Banff at about 11.55pm.
They observed that it had been damaged, airbags were deployed, and that Stuart was driving it at speeds below 10mph and swerving.
'The vehicle came to an abrupt halt and the accused exited the vehicle,' Ms Stuart said.
'Constables went after the accused. When they caught up with him, they found him to be in possession of a bottle of beer.'
He was taken to Fraserburgh police station, where he refused to comply with testing procedures for alcohol.
'He was thereafter kept in police custody,' Ms Stuart added.
Checks would later reveal Stuart had only a provisional driving licence and no insurance on the car.
Stuart's defence agent, Stuart Beveridge, said his client was at a 'low ebb' because of the breakdown of a family relationship at the time of the offence.
Mr Beveridge said: 'He accepts when the police became aware of him he did run away from them.
'And, to be fair to him, in some of the evidence I've seen, police officers do accept in the process of arresting him there is a struggle and he is in fact kneed in the groin by one of the police officers and that, as referred to by Mr Stuart, as to why he thereafter refused to cooperate with them at all.'
Banning him from the roads, Sheriff Robert McDonald said he was 'disappointed' to see Stuart in the position he was.
'I'm disappointed to see you appearing from custody,' he said.
'In the circumstances, I don't think there's any sensible option but to sentence you today.'
In addition to the driving ban, Sheriff McDonald also imposed fines with no time to pay to take account of Stuart's status in custody.
As a result, his total fine of £800 will be converted into 28 days of imprisonment.
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