A desperate driver was guilty of swerving round a car and running a red light in Dunfermline because he needed the toilet.
Professional digger driver David Murray ran the stop signal in his car in a bid to get home as quickly as possible.
He had originally been charged with dangerous driving – which carries an automatic ban – but he pled guilty to careless driving and a sheriff logged three points on his licence.
The 34-year-old admitted changing lanes without signalling and failing to stop at a red light on Queensferry Road, Dunfermline, on February 10 2024.
Failing to succeed in the Sir Alex Ferguson defence meant Murray also ended up spending 10,000 pennies as he was fined £100 by the court.
Desperate toilet dash for Dunfermline driver
Fiscal depute Catherine Stevenson told Dunfermline Sheriff Court Murray was number two in a line of vehicles travelling along Queensferry Road in Dunfermline.
She said: “A witness, Mr David Bell, was driving his vehicle on Queensferry Road and as he was pulling up to the Pitreavie Roundabout he was in the middle lane.
“In front of him was the vehicle being driven by the accused, with another vehicle in front of the accused’s vehicle.”
She said although the first set of lights passed was green, the next changed.
She said: “Mr Bell has observed the next set of traffic lights turning amber in front of him, has reduced speed and stopped at the lights as they turned red.
“The accused’s vehicle has, without indicating or braking, moved lane and accelerated through the red light.”
The incident was captured on dash cam and reported to the police.
‘He accepts he should have waited’
Solicitor Amie Allan, defending, said Murray was in desperate need of relief.
She said: “Mr Murray was heading home from work and he needed the toilet – that was his reason.
“He accepts he should have waited at the red light.”
She urged Sheriff Susan Duff not to disqualify Murray from driving as he required a licence for his job as a digger driver.
In addition to imposing penalty points, Sheriff Duff fined Murray £100.
In 1999, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson – was found not guilty at Bury Magistrates Court of driving on the hard shoulder of a motorway after successfully arguing he had to do so to get to the toilet.
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