A driver who drove 66 miles from Dundee to Aberdeen with a “disintegrated” tyre was so drunk he has no memory of it.
Stephen Barr was spotted swerving across the lanes of the A90 by a number of road users on the morning of December 21 2019, with one driver witnessing the 35-year-old’s rental car crash into the central reservation.
An ambulance crew on a 999 call also witnessed Barr’s driving and tried to signal to him his tyre had “disintegrated” and he was driving on the metal wheel rim.
Barr’s solicitor described his actions as an “absolutely outrageous piece of driving”.
Fiscal depute Lynne MacVicar told Aberdeen Sheriff Court Barr had got behind the wheel at 5am after being asked to leave a friend’s flat in Dundee due to his behaviour.
He was seen driving around the city before returning to the property, where he was confronted about his conduct and he took off in the car once again.
Almost collided with bus stop
At around 8.30am Barr was again spotted by road users driving on the wrong side of a dual carriageway with his wheel arch trim hanging off.
They watched the vehicle almost collide with a number of traffic islands and an unoccupied bus stop before contacting the police.
A driver then reported seeing Barr driving on the A90 northbound near Laurencekirk, where he overtook her before weaving off the road and into the metal barrier of the central reservation.
The car was next spotted by an ambulance crew on their way to an emergency on the A90 near Stonehaven.
Ms MacVicar told the court: “They heard a noise and thought there was a fault with their vehicle so moved into lane one.
“They realised that the noise was the accused in a vehicle behind them, travelling so closely behind them they did not see him.
“The vehicle overtook the ambulance at speed.
“The ambulance staff then attempted to signal to the accused that the front offside tyre of his vehicle had disintegrated and the car was running on the wheel rim.”
Barr was later seen by another driver travelling on Aberdeen’s Market Street and onto Palmerston Road, where he got out and walked away from the vehicle.
‘You’re lucky you didn’t injure anyone’
Barr pled guilty to dangerous driving while over the legal alcohol limit.
Defence agent Tony Burgess told the court his client “simply couldn’t remember” but he had chosen to drive after a physical altercation with a friend in Dundee.
He said: “This was an absolutely outrageous piece of driving and some of what he has done has put motorists’ lives in danger.
“He can’t account for what he did and he just can’t understand why has driven all the way back to Aberdeen.
“He deeply regrets what he did and the shock and horror I have seen in his response to this seem genuine.”
Sheriff Christine McCrossan told the 35-year old: “I think you recognise how horrific this driving was and that’s not being overly dramatic.
“You drove over 66 miles in this state and you’re lucky you didn’t injure yourself or anyone else.”
Sheriff McCrossan sentenced Barr, of Summerfield Place, Aberdeen, to a community payback order with an 18-month supervision requirement, 275 hours of unpaid work and an eight-month restriction of liberty order.
She also banned him from the roads for four years.
