A grieving mother faced further heartache after being caught drink-driving minutes after leaving her son’s graveside.
Despite suffering the effects of a heavy night’s drinking, Linda Long was determined to pay her respects to her beloved child. Although she made it to the cemetery without incident, the 58-year-old came to the attention of an off-duty police officer as she tried to return home.
Perth Sheriff Court heard that the constable, a Fife Constabulary officer, became increasingly concerned by her erratic driving along Feus Road.
He watched in horror as other vehicles were forced to brake sharply to avoid colliding with Long’s green Vauxhall Corsa, which repeatedly swerved on to the wrong side of the road.
She then came to a complete stop on a roundabout for no reason, before continuing along Crieff Road, driving through a set of red lights and then swerving along Dunkeld Road one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares.
When she finally parked in May Place, the witness identified himself as an off-duty officer and, after noticing a strong smell of alcohol, contacted Tayside Police.
Solicitor Jamie Baxter said his client had been driving without incident since 1977 and it was only in the last three years that she had developed a drink problem.
Despite the high reading of 134mics of alcohol in 100ml of breath almost four times the legal limit of 35mics Long had not been drinking since the night before, Mr Baxter continued, and she had been “overwhelmed” after visiting the grave.
Long, of May Place, admitted that on February 17 at Feus Road, Crieff Road, Dunkeld Road, Gowans Terrace, Bute Drive and May Place, she drove with excess alcohol (134mics).
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis disqualified her from driving for 26 months and imposed a fine of £1,400.