Drink-drive parish priest fined £150 and banned

A PRIEST was caught by police driving while almost three times the legal drink drive limit just hours before he was to take Mass.

Father Brian McLean's unexplained absence from Sunday worship meant his parishioners were left concerned about his well-being.

Unable to locate their priest, members of the congregation at St Fergus, in Forfar, contacted police in order to check he was safe.

But officers who had arrested him hours earlier were able to reassure the congregation that Father McLean, 60, was not harmed but was not in a position to take Mass.

Yesterday the priest, who preaches at St Fergus in Forfar and St Anthony's church in Kirriemuir, appeared in the dock of Forfar Sheriff Court wearing his clerical clothing.

He pleaded guilty to driving on the B957 Kirriemuir to Brechin Road in the early hours of Sunday, 27 February while over the drink-drive limit.

The court heard that Tayside Police officers were on mobile patrol when they came across a stationary red VW Golf.

Depute fiscal Hannah Kennedy said: "Officers noted it had sustained damage to the front nearside tyre, suspension and there were markings on the kerb.

"They spoke to the driver, who confirmed he was the owner of the vehicle and that he had been involved in a minor collision.

"Officers detected a strong smell of alcohol on the driver's breath. They interviewed him and he confirmed he was the driver. He failed a roadside breath test and a later test confirmed that he had been driving while over the limit."

Yesterday his solicitor, Frank Gill, said the priest was "ashamed" of the incident.

He said: "My client is 60 years old with no previous convictions and a full driving licence.

Sheriff Ian Anderson fined the priest 150 and disqualified him from driving for 18 months.