A director of a Perth firm downed an unfinished glass of wine as he waited for police to breathalyse him following an alleged road rage incident, a court has heard.
Christopher Dickson, who works for the family firm Dicksons of Perth, had apparently drunk two tins of lager and almost two glasses of wine prior to officers arriving at his home.
The 29-year-old was visited by police investigating an incident which had apparently taken place earlier that evening.
Witnesses Alexander and Julia Nicoll claim that earlier that evening Dickson had driven his £37,000 Mercedes aggressively for a few streets prior to an incident which wrote off their Ford Galaxy.
The couple told Perth Sheriff Court that as they turned right from Marshall Place onto Edinburgh Road Dickson cut in front of them before slamming on his brakes, causing them to run into the back of his C-class estate.
They said that following a verbal altercation they said Dickson had got back in his car and driven off.
Constable Martin Buchan said they had traced him at home but as Dickson said he had had alcohol officers had to wait 20 minutes to perform a breath test in order to get an accurate reading.
He told the court: “He said that since he’s arrived home he’s consumed a quantity of alcohol. He had had two tins of lager and a glass or so of wine. There was a glass of wine sitting where he had been watching the telly.
“As we waited he became a bit restless about us being there and the accusations and he drank the rest of the glass, which was unfortunately on the table in front of him.
“When he picked up the glass we said ‘don’t do that’ but it was too late.”
Dickson, of Croft Park, Perth, denies a string of charges which are said to have taken place on February 28 this year.
It is alleged that he drove on Atholl Street, Kinnoull Street, Marshall Place and Edinburgh Road with 35 mics of alcohol in his system. The legal limit is 22.
He is further accused of driving without due care an attention by turning right without indicating, moving off from stationary when it was unsafe to do so and causing an oncoming vehicle to take evasive action, overtaking the vehicle before stopping suddenly in front of it and causing a collision with the other car.
He also faces a charge of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner by shouting, swearing and uttering threats of violence.
The trial, before Sheriff Gillian Wade, continues.
