Mechanic calls police after motorist caught drunk

A DRIVER who called a breakdown service after his car 'fell apart' at four in the morning was shopped to police '“ after a shocked mechanic found him standing beside his crippled car swigging from a bottle of gin.
Falkirk Sheriff Court. Picture: John DevlinFalkirk Sheriff Court. Picture: John Devlin
Falkirk Sheriff Court. Picture: John Devlin

Justin Yeardly, 40, of Bridgeness Lane, Bo’ness, West Lothian, called out Stirlingshire recovery company Burgoyne’s after his five-year-old Mitsubishi Colt suffered a buckled wheel, possibly after hitting a pothole, on Glenbrae, near Falkirk High Station.

But when the breakdown truck arrived, its driver concluded Yeardly was heavily under the influence of alcohol – and was still drinking from the gin bottle while waiting for help.

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Falkirk Sheriff Court was told the recovery company called police because they were concerned about Yeardly’s condition.

Depute fiscal Samantha Brown said: “By the time the police arrived there was a half-empty bottle of gin in the footwell.

“Mr Yeardly then advised that his car ‘fell apart’.”

Yeardly was arrested and taken to Falkirk Police Station.

Ms Brown said: “He had a collapsed lung, and was therefore unable to provide a breath sample, so blood samples were taken instead.”

They proved on analysis to contain 278 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres, nearly three-and-a-half times the limit in force at the time, which was 80.

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Ms Brown added: “The Crown accepts that there had been some drinking at the side of the road.”

Yeardly pleaded guilty to drink driving.

The incident happened over a year ago, on November 30, 2014. The court heard the delay in getting the matter into court had been partly due to the necessity to obtain an expert’s report on the impact of Yeardly’s post-driving drinking on his blood/alcohol count.

Sheriff Linda Smith banned Yeardly from driving for four years, and fined him £450. She said: “You have pleaded guilty to a very high level of alcohol.”

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