A 67-year-old Fife woman was fined £1000 and banned from the road for three years after being caught driving at more than three times the legal drink-drive limit.
Mary-Ellen Murphy, of Ballingry Street in Lochgelly, pled guilty to driving the car while under the influence of alcohol on the A92 on March 8.
Procurator fiscal depute Michael Robertson told Dunfermline Sheriff Court Murphy was driving eastbound at the Lochgelly slip road when she was stopped by police.
“Constables attended and required the accused to identify who the driver was and she replied: ‘me, obviously’.
“A roadside breath test provided a positive result and she was thereafter taken to Kirkcaldy Police Station.”
Mr Robertson said another breath test was done and Murphy returned a reading of 72mics/100.
Defence lawyer Alan Jackson said former nurse Murphy had not consumed alcohol for many months before the incident.
Sheriff Craig McSherry said, given Murphy’s breath and alcohol reading and a previous conviction, he would fine her £1000 and disqualify her from driving for three years.
School blaze
A gang of men who burned down a historic Fife school have been placed on supervision. Allan Alexander, Christopher Bauld and Kai Russell were told they had demonstrated a “high level of stupidity” due to their involvement in the blaze at the former Inverkeithing Primary building.
Fight challenge
A Dundee man has been given unpaid work after admitting acting in a threatening and abusive manner in a busy street.
Gary Oswald, 33, has been ordered to complete 115 hours of community-based work in 12 months after challenging people to fight in Reform Street on May 29 last year.
The Saggar Street man admitted the offence at Dundee Sheriff Court.
Sheriff George Way warned Oswald his sentence was a direct alternative to custody.
Scooter assault
One-legged Thomas McArthur from Kirkcaldy admitted assaulting a stranger by driving at and striking him with his mobility scooter. The town’ sheriff court was told he could remember nothing of the “out of character” early-morning incident.
School row
A man who threatened staff at a Fife school after being phoned by a crying female relative has had his sentence deferred until October.
David McKenzie admitted acting in a threatening and abusive manner at the school on March 8.
Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard how the IT consultant had taken advantage of staff unlocking the door for a pupil to barge into the foyer of the school, which cannot be named for legal reasons.
McKenzie then ranted and challenged staff to a fight.
The incident was witnessed by around 40 pupils.
He was removed from the school by police officers but then refused to give them his details.
The court heard he had been contacted by a relative who was upset following a disagreement with a member of school staff.
McKenzie, 52, of Dunbar Court, Glenrothes, admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner on March 8 this year.
He further admitted failing to give details to a police officer.
Social media peril
Ian Moody from Comrie in Perthshire was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for sending sexual messages to a decoy social media account he thought was a young teenage girl. The 45-year-old’s behaviour continued for nine months.
The full caseload of the Dundee Crime and Courts Team can be found here.
