Drunk took car as police fined driver

A DRUNKEN passenger climbed into the driver's seat of a car and drove off along a motorway while traffic police were booking his friend for speeding, a court has heard.

Even Christopher Brennan's own solicitor said: "If there was an award for stupid conduct, this would be at the top of the list."

Brennan, 28, of Old Golf Course Road, Armadale, West Lothian, had been the front-seat passenger in a car which was pulled over on the M90 on Sunday morning.

The officers took Brennan's sober friend into their own vehicle in the lay-by so they could fill out the paperwork to issue him with a fixed penalty fine for speeding.

As they were completing the formalities, learner driver Brennan, who was three times over the limit, shuffled over into the driver's seat and drove off without any lights on and without fastening his seatbelt.

The officers then had to set off in chase before pulling Brennan over, Perth Sheriff Court was told yesterday.

The sheriff banned Brennan from driving for 21 months and fined him a total of 750.

He had admitted driving with excess alcohol

and also admitted driving with no insurance and failing to display "L" plates while he only held a provisional driving licence.

Sheriff George Way told Brennan: "What you did was an utter folly."