A MORAY MAN who stole a van that later crashed and burned in a field near Garmouth escaped a jail sentence after appearing at Elgin Sheriff Court on Thursday.
Kyle McGregor, 25, was told that he was fortunate to have survived the crash that left the stolen van burned out in a field.
Police and fire crews were called to the field on the road between Lhanbryde and Garmouth on September 20 last year. They found the burnt-out van and recovered McGregor’s bank card beside the vehicle.
The court was told that when police traced McGregor he was found to have almost twice the legal limit of alcohol in his breath. He was subsequently taken to Dr Gray’s Hospital for treatment to minor injuries.
Sheriff David Hall was told how McGregor had been drinking with friends at premises on Robertson Road in Lhanbryde before falling asleep – when he awoke his friends had gone, so he decided to “borrow” the van and catch up with them.
McGregor, of Baxter Place in Lhanbryde, was told by the Sheriff that it was only with the “greatest of hesitation” that he would not impose a prison sentence, instead ordering McGregor to be kept under supervision for two years.
He also imposed 200 hours of community service and disqualified him from driving for two years.