A quiet night in the pub ended with a brawl after a Perthshire man decided to drive the short distance home.
Locals drinking in the Dunning Hotel on August 11 were stunned when John Geraghty got into his car after enjoying a few nips.
They watched as he headed from Station Road to Romangate, and some were so concerned that they followed his vehicle.
Perth Sheriff Court heard one person took matters into his own hands by assaulting the 68-year-old, leaving him with a broken cheekbone.
Depute fiscal Stuart Richardson said: “Not surprisingly, because of all this the police were called and the usual drink-driving procedures were carried out.”
Solicitor Cliff Culley said his client had been “drinking heavily” the previous night and had only driven 500 yards to the hotel.
He added: “He had two or three vodkas in the pub and fully appreciates that he should not have driven.”
Geraghty, of Romangate, Dunning, admitted that on August 11 on Station Road and Romangate, he drove with excess alcohol (90 mics). The legal limit is 35 mics in 100ml of breath.