Soldier found asleep at the wheel of car

A SERVING soldier was found asleep at the wheel of his car after a night out with an army pal, a court heard.

The car was parked at the side of the road, but the headlights were on, the engine was running and the driver still had his seatbelt on.

Police had difficulty waking Gavin McCrae because he’d had so much to drink, a court heard yesterday.

When officers finally managed to rouse the transport corporal he failed a roadside breath test.

He was later found to be nearly three times the legal limit for driving, Livingston Sheriff Court was told.

Despite serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 1 Scots Infantry corporal now faces demotion because a driving licence is essential for his job.

McCrae, 23, pleaded guilty to driving in West Lothian on July 11 with an alcohol count of 85 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath. The limit is 35mg.

He was fined £300 and disqualified from holding a licence for 20 months.

He was allowed to take a drink-driving rehabilitation course to cut his ban by a quarter.