A motorist forced a marked police vehicle to brake sharply after he overtook a lorry while approaching a pedestrian crossing outside a primary school.
Intars Adams “panicked” when he saw the police vehicle and tried to pull in front of the lorry but clipped its front end.
The incident happened outside St Ninian’s Primary School, just yards from Police Scotland’s Perth headquarters.
The 43-year-old admitted dangerous driving when he appeared from custody at Perth Sheriff Court yesterday.
Depute fiscal Marie Irvine told the court the police vehicle was being driven by a sergeant, who was travelling east on Barrack Street, near the junction with Atholl Street, around 10.40am.
“He was in the offside lane with the intention of turning right into Perth police station. He was approaching a pedestrian crossing, with a garage on his right and a primary school on his left,” she added.
The officer noticed a Volvo tipper lorry up ahead and saw Adams’ vehicle pull out from behind it to overtake, forcing him to brake sharply to avoid a collision.
Adams continued past the police vehicle and returned to his own side of the road before reaching the pedestrian crossing, continued Ms Irvine. He then pulled left, colliding with the front of the lorry.
Solicitor Mike Tavendale, defending, said Adams, who has been in the UK for three years, had drunk alcohol the night before the incident.
He said: “It would appear that he had been drinking the night before. It would also appear that there was room to overtake this lorry but clearly the presence of the pedestrian crossing made that a fairly hazardous manoeuvre at best.
“On seeing the police car approaching he panicked. Instead of stopping and trying to go back in he has tried to continue to overtake.”
Adams, of Calton Street, Coupar Angus, admitted driving dangerously on Perth’s Barrack Street on September 22 by entering the oncoming carriageway while approaching a pedestrian crossing, causing the police driver to take evasive action, and colliding with the tipper lorry, causing damage to both it and his own vehicle.
He further admitted driving without a valid licence and to failing to give a blood specimen at Perth Police Station on the same date.
Noting that Adams’ driving “fell well below the standard which might be expected”, Sheriff William Wood fined him £900 and banned him from the roads for 20 months.
