2 days ago
Senior SSE manager banned for drunken crash in Perth woman's front garden
A senior manager at power firm SSE has been banned from driving for two years after he drunkenly careered his car into a Perth woman's garden.
Peter McKessick was five times the limit when he ploughed his Land Rover Discovery through a hedge in the city's Ettrick Drive.
The 54-year-old, who is head of development at the Perth-based energy company, was said to have been drinking excessively the day before, celebrating the end of the football season.
He got behind the wheel the following evening, after drinking one more pint, to deliver a vital document to his workplace, his lawyer told Perth Sheriff Court.
Sheriff Clair McLachlan told him: 'I'm not sure I entirely accept the explanation given.'
McKessick, of Perth, pled guilty to driving with excess alcohol (249mg/ 50) on May 20 last year.
Prosecutors accepted his not guilty plea to an allegation of careless driving.
Fiscal depute Michael Robertson said: 'At 9pm, a witness was at the rear of her property in Ettrick Drive.
'She heard a loud bang coming from the front of the house.'
The woman raced to her front door, where she saw McKessick's car in her garden.
'She observed a male within the vehicle,' Mr Robertson said.
'She could detect and smell alcohol coming from him.'
Emergency services were called and McKessick was arrested after failing a roadside breath test.
He was taken to Ninewells Hospital, where his blood was taken by doctors and later analysed by police.
'The accused was kept in hospital overnight for observations,' the fiscal depute said.
Solicitor William McKay, defending, said: 'Mr McKessick was incredulous at the reading. Obviously, it's a very high one.'
He said his client had been drinking at a social event 'around a football match' on May 19.
'He was drinking beer and vodka from 1pm to 2am,' Mr McKay said.
The next day, he drink one pint of beer.
Mr McKay said: 'At about 9pm, he remembered he wasn't going into the office the next day but he had a document that he required to take to his office.'
McKessick got in his car and crashed after travelling a short distance.
The solicitor could not explain why the blood-alcohol reading was so high.
'Maybe he has a slow absorption level. He doesn't have a drink problem but he was drinking an awful lot on that particular day.'
Mr McKay, who said his client had a 'high-flying' position at SSE, had been driving without incident every day since the crash.
Sheriff Clair McLachlan told McKessick: 'This was a worryingly high reading and I'm not sure I entirely accept the explanation given but it does seem to be out of character for you.'
McKessick was banned from driving for 24 months and fined £1,000.
He was told he can reduce his ban time to 18 months by completing a drink-drive rehabilitation course.
