AN ANGUS man ran across the width of the A90 to hide from police officers after crashing his car into a ditch, a court heard yesterday.
Forfar Sheriff Court heard 52-year-old Anthony Milne, of Esk Hill near Forfar, hid in bushes after a drink-driving incident near Balnabreich on March 9 last year.
Fiscal depute Hannah Kennedy said a lorry driver was driving north at 1.05am when he saw a car in the ditch off to his left.
He noticed Milne and stopped to help.
“He saw the accused was agitated, and saw him to be under the influence of drink,” she said.
Milne asked the driver to help pull the car out of the ditch, but the man went back to his cab and called police instead.
When a squad car approached, Milne ran across both carriageways and hid in bushes over the southbound side of the A90.
On approaching him, officers were told he “would have them”.
Milne was taken to Arbroath police station and searched, where officers found 2.15 grammes of cocaine.
Ms Kennedy said the street value of the drugs was estimated at between £180 and £200.
Milne admitted driving a car while under the influence of drink or drugs, with a specimen of his blood measuring at 161 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitresof blood, with the legal limit 80 mics.
He also admitted a breach of the peace on the same date and behaved in a threatening or abusive manner towards police officers, in that he repeatedly shouted and swore at them, made abusive remarks and threatened violence against them.
He further admitted to possession of a controlled substance, the class A drug cocaine.
Previous convictions were admitted although defence agent Nick Markowski said the last one was 17 years previously.
Mr Markowski said his client’s recollection of the incident was “hazy” and he had sustained a fractured collar bone in the crash.
Visiting sheriff Valerie Johnston banned Milne from driving for 12 months, with the possibility of entering a drink-driving rehabilitation programme to reduce the ban by three months, and fined him £680.
She said: “What concerns me most here is the level of alcohol involved, and disqualification is the only realistic disposal.”
riwatt@thecourier.co.uk