Fife drink driver was nearly six times the legal limit

Graham Martin, of Roe Deer Place, Dunfermline had drunk eight cans of Budweiser and half a bottle of gin the night before and was stopped by police shortly before 11.00am the next morning.

He appeared before Sheriff James Williamson at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Thursday.

Martin, 42, admitted that on September 18, 2021 on Wester Bogie Road, Kirkcaldy he drove a motor vehicle after consuming so much alcohol the proportion of it in his breath was 124 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, exceeding the legal limit of 22.

The court was told members of the public saw the car as one of its tyres started to come off the wheel and police were called.

The Procurator Fiscal Depute said: “The accused was driving at speed. Police positioned in a marked police vehicle nearby activated their blue lights, to get him to pull over.”Once out of the vehicle, the court was told, Martin “smelled strongly of alcohol and was slurring his words.”

Police carried out their usual roadside procedures.

Martin’s defence lawyer said the car his client was driving was a company vehicle.

He said the accused had faced a disciplinary hearing at work as a result of the offence.

He had been an employed with the company for for a number of years.

He said Martin’s consumption of alcohol had escalated since 2019 and that his client had consumed eight cans of Budweiser and half a bottle of gin the night before the offence – he had finished drinking in the early hours of the morning.

He said: “He appreciates he will be banned from driving for a significant period of time as a result of this. He has been engaging with Fife Alcohol Services.”

Sheriff Williamson said Martin was potentially looking at a significant driving ban.

He deferred sentence until November 9 to obtain a report from Fife Alcohol Services, a medical assessment and documentation from the DVLA.

He also disqualified Martin from driving in the interim, with the length of the ban to be decided at his next court appearance.

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