An Arbroath man caught driving at fives times the legal alcohol limit has been told he had consumed enough to ”kill a normal man”.
Sheriff Derek Pyle branded Melvyn Reid a ”danger to the public” as he sentenced the 51-year-old at Arbroath Sheriff Court on Tuesday.
Reid, of Braick’s Wynd, James Street, had previously admitted driving in the town with excess alcohol (179 mics) on October 12.
The reading was one of the highest ever recorded in Tayside and was more than five times the legal limit of 35 micrograms per 100ml of breath.
The court heard Reid’s neighbours had seen him getting into his vehicle at around 6pm that evening and that he had appeared unsteady on his feet, before getting in and driving off.
After returning home at 7.10pm, he was witnessed having difficulty parking his car, taking several attempts to complete the manoeuvre. On getting out of the vehicle, Reid was seen staggering towards his door, before stumbling and falling against a wall several times.
Depute fiscal Hazel Anderson said neighbours had called the police after witnessing the state he was in.
Ms Anderson said: “The police attended at 7.25pm and spoke to the neighbours. At 7.55pm officers went to the door of the accused, who shouted ‘come in’.”
”He was so heavily under the influence that the police couldn’t make any sense of hat he was saying.”
Reid’s defence solicitor Gary McIlravey said his client was an alcoholic, adding that the reading was the highest he had ever seen.
He said: ”This is certainly the highest reading I have ever seen. With a reading like this he is lucky to be alive.”
He added: ”He has now realised, for the first time, that he is an alcoholic.”
Sheriff Pyle said that although Reid may have had a drink in the house after returning in the car, there was no way the entire amount required to put him fives times over the limit could have been consumed in the time before the police arrived.
He added: ”It is only because of the fact you are a first offender that I am not going to be sending you to jail but you were very close.”
Reid was sentenced to a two-year community payback order of 200 hours and was disqualified from driving for five years.