News / Drink driver’s car might be confiscated
A LERWICK drink driver will have to wait for another four weeks to find out whether his car will be confiscated by the court after he admitted driving while five times the legal limit for alcohol.
Neil Jamieson, of Sandveien, Lerwick, was stopped by police officers because of the manner of his driving at the town’s South Road at lunchtime on 26 January.
Even under the old drink-driving limit, the 45 year old would have been well over three times the legal limit.
At Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday, procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie was seeking forfeiture of Jamieson’s Ford Focus in order to send out a strong signal.
“Clearly we have a drinking problem in these islands, we see high readings very regularly and something needs to be done,” the fiscal said.
The court that Jamieson’s car, acquired on a hire purchase agreement, was worth between £5,400 and £6,500.
Defending solicitor Tommy Allan said his client had “a big night” the day before and did not appreciate how much alcohol he had left in his system.
Allan said his client didn’t own the vehicle outright and, in addition, the car was regularly used by his wife to get to work and also help other family members to get around.
He said the court had “ample powers” apart from forfeiture, and called on the sheriff to look at other ways of punishing Jamieson.
Sheriff Philip Mann said he was “fairly certain” he had the powers to forfeit the vehicle, but agreed to defer sentence until 18 March to hear more background on how the car is being used in the family.
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