A drunk Fife doctor who swerved into the path of an oncoming marked police car has admitted driving while under the influence of alcohol.
Miroslav Kotrec appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court where he also pled guilty to driving without due care and attention.
The 49-year-old, who has worked in Scotland for five years, had hired the Suzuki SX4 at Edinburgh Airport after getting off a flight from Budapest on March 10.
He came to the attention of police officers while driving along Bennochy Road in Kirkcaldy without any lights on.
His car was then seen to swerve around a corner before entering the opposing carriageway and into the path of the police car.
He was breathalysed at the scene and was found to have 40 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 22.
Fiscal depute Catherine Fraser said: “The accused is employed as a consultant at the Victoria Hospital.
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“At 11.50pm, police officers were driving on Bennochy Road when they observed the accused’s vehicle swerve erratically around a corner and onto the opposing carriageway towards the marked police vehicle.
“The officers had to take evasive action. The Suzuki did not have any lights on and it was dark.
“Because of the nature of the driving, the police officers stopped the vehicle and it was the accused who was driving.
“They noted a strong smell of alcohol coming from the vehicle. The accused was asked to provide a roadside breath test which he failed.
“He was arrested and conveyed to Kirkcaldy police station. Officers noted that it was only by the grace of God that this wasn’t a more serious incident.”
Defence solicitor Christine Hagan told the court her client had been returning from a visit to Slovakia where his wife and children live.
She said he was unfamiliar with the car and may have turned off the lights when he stopped to get a coffee at McDonald’s on his way back to his home in Buchanan Court, Kirkcaldy.
She added: “He is a consultant at the neonatal unit and has spoken to his line manager. He does expect to keep his job and believes his employers will support him.”
She added that the General Medical Council had been notified and that Kotrec’s work at the hospital would be monitored for a short period of time.
Sheriff Grant McCulloch handed Kotrec a 12 month driving ban and fined him a total of £900.
He also allowed him to take part in the drink drivers rehabilitation programme which if successfully completed, will take three months off the disqualification period.
