A shamed golf club boss was caught behind the wheel near a Perth school while more than EIGHT times the drink-drive limit.
David Kearney was pulled over by officers at Bertha Park on Wednesday morning.
He failed a roadside breath test with a reading of 175 mics of alcohol per 100 ml of breath. The legal limit is 22 mics.
It is thought to be one of the highest drink-drive readings in Scotland.
Police were so shocked they shared news of his arrest on social media.
Kearney appeared from custody at Perth Sheriff Court on Thursday and admitted driving at an even higher reading – 177 mics.
It happened while he was under a court-imposed supervision order for a series of after dark cash raids on Pitlochry Golf Club, his former workplace.
Sheriff Gillian Wade deferred sentence for background reports.
Social media post
Kearney, 48, appeared at the same court in November and admitted breaking into his old club.
He was ordered to complete 130 hours of unpaid work and must pay back the stolen money by the end of this year.
The court heard that on Wednesday, Kearney was driving a gold Hyundai Tucson on an access road to Berth Park nature reserve, off the B993.
He was pulled over by police following a tip-off from a concerned member of the public.
Cops shared an image of the breathalyser reading – recorded before a follow-up reading was taken at police HQ – on the Road Policing Scotland Twitter account.
#PerthRP stopped a car this morning after a tip-off that the driver may be drunk.
After blowing nearly eight times the legal drink drive limit the driver will be appearing in court tomorrow!#fatal5#dontriskit pic.twitter.com/KEGG6GvVu7
— Road Policing Scotland (@PSOSRoads) June 21, 2023
It read: “#PerthRP stopped a car this morning after a tip-off that the driver may be drunk.
“After blowing nearly eight times the legal drink drive limit, the driver will be appearing in court tomorrow!”
Driving ban
Solicitor Billy Somerville, defending, said: “He appreciates that he will be disqualified from driving as of today.”
He said his client had already engaged with the local Integrated Drug and Alcohol Recovery Team (I-Dart).
Sheriff Gillian Wade called for a report to look at the background of his offending.
Kearney, who was banned from driving in the interim, will return to court for sentencing next month.
Nocturnal raids
The court previously heard Kearney had stolen money from Pitlochry Golf Club in the weeks after losing his long-term job there.
When he went back a third time, he was caught on newly installed security cameras.
Staff were shocked when they played back the footage and recognised their former manager.
Kearney, of Caesar Avenue, Perth, admitting breaking in and stealing £473.50 on October 10 and 11, 2021. He attempted to steal again on October 25.
When he was sentenced, Mr Somerville explained his client had “taken initial steps to address various problems” including stopping drinking.
Sentencing him to unpaid work, Sheriff Alison Michie placed Kearney on supervision for year.
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