A farm worker snorted 11g of cocaine and downed bottles of Buckfast and Mad Dog before crashing a dumper truck outside a Perthshire couple’s home, causing “at least” £23,000 of damage.
Ross Boag said his “foot slipped” and rolled the vehicle into a ditch, before reversing it at speed into two parked cars.
One of the cars was propelled into a nearby house, leaving a huge external crack from the ground to the roof.
Boag, 24, was jailed when he returned to Perth Sheriff Court this week, having previously admitted a charge of dangerous driving in Elmgrove, Scone, in early 2023.
The court heard he also stole more than £1,000 of heavy plant equipment in November 2022, and a £15,000 excavator just weeks later.
Boag had rented out the kit but never returned it.
Instead, he sold the items on the black market to buy cocaine.
Jailed
The court heard how Boag got lost in Scone while driving a tipper truck in the early hours of January 14 last year,
Solicitor Mark Robbins, defending, said: “He got spooked when a spotlight came on.
“His foot slipped and the vehicle went into a ditch.
“He was trying to get out and this was what caused him to reverse into the two cars.
“He had to go at excessive speed to get out of the ditch.”
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis, noting the contents of a social work report, said: “I might be tempted to say that if you had taken 11g of cocaine, two bottles of Buckfast and a bottle of Mad Dog, your recollection might be somewhat hazy.”
The sheriff told Boag: “I take account of the fact that you are under the age of 25.
“This means I have to take account of sentencing guidelines for young offenders which focus on rehabilitation.
“But I also have to take account of the circumstances of the offences themselves.”
He said: “As a result of the thefts, commercial hirers have lost significant sums of money.
“Particularly, the loss of the excavator which would have had a value in excess of five figures.”
The sheriff added: “In relation to the road traffic matter, an offence of dangerous driving is a significant matter and one can only anticipate the speed at which you were driving in light of the damage caused.
“It is accepted that the custody threshold has been reached.
“Considering everything that has been said, I do consider custody is appropriate.”
Boag, of Gilsay Place, Perth, was jailed for 14 months.
He was banned from driving for two years.
Drove off at speed
The court previously heard how the occupants of the property in Elmgrove heard a loud bang at about 12.40am.
They noticed their security light had been activated and looked out to see Boag’s vehicle reversing at speed.
It hit a Volkswagen Transporter and a Volvo V40, parked outside.
The Volvo V40 was shunted into the front of the house, causing the wall and window frame to crack.
Boag then exited the area at speed.
When he was later caught by police, he tried to pretend he wasn’t driving the vehicle and claimed his number plates may have been stolen.
Fiscal depute Duncan McKenzie said the cost of the damage to the house was listed as about £23,000, but said the final figure could be even higher.
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