An elderly lorry driver who had a crack cocaine party with two women the night before he blacked out behind the wheel on the notorious A92 in Fife has been banned from the roads.
Allen Kerr may have been suffering the combined effects of cocaine, insomnia and diabetes, the court heard.
He was found to be more than 15 times the legal limit for the Class-A drug when he was stopped on the A92.
The 68-year-old’s tipper lorry was damaged due to a collision, Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard.
It was revealed Kerr had been partying the night before and took crack cocaine before starting his shift without getting any sleep.
‘Blacked out’
Fiscal depute Dev Kapadia said: “Police on patrol were contacted by a member of the public informing them of an incident on the A92.
“Officers made their way to the northbound A92 and saw the accused as described by the witness.
“There was some damage to the lorry and he was thereafter stopped.”
A breath test for alcohol was negative but a saliva test for drugs showed positive for cocaine.
At a previous hearing, Kerr said the the incident happened “when I blacked out”.
The eight-wheeled tipper truck owned by a Fife firm suffered windscreen damage after leaving the road.
Partied with women night before
Solicitor Katie Stewart, defending, said Kerr had been forced to move into sheltered accommodation.
She said: “He’s been made homeless as he was unable to make mortgage payments.
“He only had one year left on his mortgage.
“He’d been at a party with two females and they took crack cocaine, and he thought ‘why not?’.
“He accepts this incident could have been considerably worse – it’s a significant reading.”
She added Kerr had not slept that night and had started his shift at 7am.
The tiredness, combined with medical issues and the cocaine all contributed, she said.
She added: “The consequences could have been more serious.
“He accepts he got away lightly in terms of his own safety.”
Kerr, of Beatty Crescent, Kirkcaldy admitted driving a lorry on the A92 on May 24 last year with excess benzoylecgonine in his system (764mics/ 50).
Branding the incident “appalling”, Sheriff Robert More banned Kerr from the road for two years.
He also placed him on a restriction of liberty order for 60 days.
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