NAFC engineering student banned from driving after ‘cock and bull story’
A student at NAFC Marine Centre was fined £900 and banned from driving when he appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.
Rezaul Habil Ahmed, 22, of Percival Road North, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, pleaded guilty to driving when he was nearly twice over the legal alcohol limit in Main Street, Scalloway, on 18th January. He had 68 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit is 35.
Ahmed also pleaded guilty to driving carelessly and on the wrong side of the road.
Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie said the incident happened at 9.30pm on a Friday night when Ahmed, approaching fast and blasting the horn, apparently showing off to the others in the car, was spotted by an off-duty police officer.
The police were contacted and went to the college where Ahmed, a marine engineering student with two years’ study ahead of him, stayed.
Ahmed attempted to tell them he had been drinking after the incident, which the procurator fiscal dismissed as a “cock and bull story”.
Sheriff Philip Mann said driving in this manner was a serious matter and unacceptable. He imposed an 18-month ban on Ahmed, to be reduced to 14 months if he completes the drink driving rehabilitation course, and fined him £675 on the drink-driving offence and £225 for careless driving.
