News / Four year ban for drink driver
A LERWICK father of three was disqualified for four years and fined £2,000 at the town sheriff court on Thursday after he pled guilty to being more than three and a half times the legal limit while driving at the Co-op carpark.
John Fraser, of 55 Nederdale, also pled guilty to failing to identify who the driver was when asked to do so by police.
The member of NHS Shetland’s alcohol and mental health team was seen staggering into his vehicle on the afternoon of 27 July after buying drink at the town’s Co-op supermarket.
Police caught up with Fraser at his home address 10 minutes later having been alerted by several concerned members of the public.
The court heard that earlier the same afternoon the 39-year old had met friends at the Tesco supermarket who were so concerned about his state that they felt they had to drive him home.
Moving the forfeiture of the family Kia Rio car, procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said the case was a bad one.
“This is man who works with the alcohol and mental health team at the NHS and is in a better position than anyone to appreciate the impact of drinking.
“He poses a considerable risk to the community,” he said
Defending Tommy Allan said Fraser was currently suspended from his job at the health board and added that his employment was hanging in the balance.
He said his client had a background of struggling with depression and had been on medication treating his alcohol abuse.
The court heard that in the event, Fraser had come off his medication and his wife had travelled south for the weekend.
“With his wife not there and no medication, he started drinking again,” the solicitor said.
He called on the sheriff to allow the family to keep the car, as forfeiting it would not penalise Fraser but his wife and their children.
Sheriff Philip Mann described Fraser’s behavior as “disgraceful”, particularly since this was the second similar offence within ten years.
He agreed with Tommy Allan that the family car should not be forfeited.
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