A man stole a truck from a Drymen yard and drove through west Stirlingshire roads at speed in the early hours while almost two and a half times the drink-driving limit.
Anthony Lench had been pursued by police on the A811, A81 and B829 in Aberfoyle early on April 20 this year before he was stopped and breathalysed by police.
The 26-year-old had admitted charges of stealing the truck from Fraser Robb Limited, Drymen; driving without insurance; careless driving – and driving while the proportion of alcohol in his breath was 52mg in 100ml. The limit being 22mg.
The fiscal depute told Stirling Sheriff Court on Wednesday that police officers had been driving towards Drymen at 2.30am that morning when they noticed a flatbed truck being driven at speed in the opposite direction.
The officers then pursued the vehicle which they could see was swerving on the road and breaking inconsistently.
When it reached Aberfoyle the lorry continued to speed and went over both sides of the road. It also struck road calming measures and went through a red light.
When the lorry stopped Lench exited the vehicle. Officers noticed his eyes were glazed and his speech slurred and he was smelling strongly of alcohol, the fiscal depute added.
He was also seen to throw an item away from the cab of the vehicle which officers recovered and found to be a key.
Click here for more news and sport from the Stirling area.
Lench’s agent told Sheriff Derek Hamilton that his client had been drinking in a pub with a friend that evening, but could not recall what happened afterwards.
The solicitor described Lench’s conduct as “bizarre” and “out of character” pointing out that he was ashamed of his conduct.
Sheriff Hamilton told Lench: “The careless driving has to be as close to dangerous driving as it gets – driving a flatbed lorry over the speed limit through a red light and failing to negotiate a bend.”
He fined Lench, of Kilmarnock, £940 on the charge of stealing the truck and admonished him on the charge of driving without insurance.
Lench was also banned from driving for 17 months on the charges of careless driving and drink-driving.
He was also placed on a restriction of liberty order confining him to his home between the hours of 7pm and 6am for a period of 11 months.
