Just 24 hours after he was released from prison, a Dundee man was sent straight back to jail after causing chaos during the rush hour on a Perthshire road.
A decision to celebrate his new-found freedom with a few pints led to Alexander Campbell staggering along the A90 between Dundee and Perth. Although he was clad head to toe in dark clothing, motorists spotted him on the eastbound carriageway just after 6pm on September 21 and, concerned for his safety, they contacted Tayside Police.
An officer was despatched and came across Campbell (47) near Longforgan, still walking along the busy dual carriageway.
Perth Sheriff Court heard how, as he approached Campbell, the constable noticed that the traffic was swerving to avoid hitting him.
Depute fiscal Katie Pacholek said, “The officer activated his blue flashing lights and stopped on the nearside of the carriageway. He got out and the accused was on the nearside verge between the crash barriers, clearly under the influence of alcohol.”
Despite the blue lights on his car being on, while the officer was making his way toward Campbell a motorist collided with his vehicle, damaging it.
Solicitor Steve Lafferty told the court that following his liberation at 3.30pm that day his client went to a pub in Perth and had three pints.
Following his private celebration he decided to get a bus home but due to a call of nature decided to stop off en route.
“Instead of resuming his journey by bus he crossed the carriageway intending to hitch-hike his way to his destination,” said Mr Lafferty. “He accepts that he was under the influence of alcohol and that some people were required to take evasive action.”
In a bid to save his client from prison, Mr Lafferty appealed to Sheriff Lindsay Foulis to instead allow him to carry out a community payback order.
Campbell, of Finlarg Terrace, Fintry, admitted that on September 21, on the A90 Perth to Dundee road at Longforgan, he culpably and recklessly walked along the dual carriageway in the hours of darkness, wearing dark clothing while under the influence of alcohol, causing vehicles to take evasive action to avoid striking him, which he did to the danger of himself, PC Brian Simpson and other road users.
Sheriff Foulis criticised Campbell’s lengthy record, which has seen him spend much of the last 20 years in jail, and dismissed Mr Lafferty’s appeal.
“Your actions could have caused severe injury or death to numerous motorists, who would all have been going along that road at speeds of between 60 to 70mph,” he told Campbell. “Goodness knows what could have happened. You are a menace.”
Campbell was jailed for a total of eight months.