A THIRD APPEARANCE on drink driving charges landed a Moray man in serious trouble at Elgin Sheriff Court this week – but a ten-year gap between cases saved him from a custodial sentence.
Robert Glass, whose address was given as being on Calcots Crescent in Elgin, was found to be six times over the legal limit when police stopped him on Elgin’s East Road in May.
The court was told that police were acting on information received that the accused had been seen “staggering and smelling of alcohol” before getting into his car. Police then spotted the vehicle being driven by Glass at 9.45am on May 14.
In his defence, agent Stephen Carty admitted that his client faced a “serious case” but added that while it was a third offence there had been a considerable gap between offending.
Mr Carty said his client did not believe he had a drink problem but had turned to alcohol to help him deal with the recent death of his father.
Disqualifying Glass for 10 years, Sheriff David Hall also ordered Glass to complete 240 hours of unpaid work over the next 12 months. He told Glass that he was prepared to offer an alternative to a custodial sentence “because it has been some 10 years since you have been in trouble”.
Sheriff Hall also ordered that Glass should forfeit his car and placed him under supervision for two years.