A96 drink-driver smashed up Mercedes in Nairn field after hitting 128mph to evade police
A drink-driver who agreed to give a woman a lift home sped off from police at 128mph after they tried to stop him on the A96 for driving his Mercedes at excessive speed.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard that officers later tracked down 32-year-old Sam Hutcheon, of Royal Marine Apartments, Nairn to a field outside the town after he crashed into it through bushes and extensively damaged his vehicle.
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Sheriff Neil Wilson was told by fiscal depute Shamiela Ghafar that Hutcheon ignored "desperate pleas to stop" from his passenger when he escaped from the police near Gollanfield in the early hours of December 27 last year.
The prosecutor added that Hutcheon had put his arm on the woman to keep her in place as he accelerated away from the patrol car who decided it was too dangerous to give chase.
Hutcheon only slowed down as police drew up beside him, cheekily admitting he was twice the drink-drive limit before driving on to a verge and accelerating away.
After finding the wrecked car in the field, partially covered in bushes, Hutcheon was breath tested and it transpired he was three times the legal limit at 65mcgs of alcohol when the limit is 22mcgs.
He admitted dangerous driving, drink-driving and failing to stop for police.
Defence solicitor Duncan Henderson said: "This was a poor piece of driving and he apologises, especially to his passenger."
Sheriff Wilson ordered Hutcheon to carry out 200 hours of unpaid community work as an alternative to prison and banned him from driving for two years. He must sit the extended driving test of competence before he gets his licence back.
Sheriff Wilson told him: "This could have been much worse. You could have killed your passenger. It was a deliberate course of action by you to get away from the police."
