A Clydebank driver who crashed into three parked vehicles was so intoxicated he didn't know the day of the week, a court has heard.
Paul Whitelaw, of Hood Street, Drumry, previously admitted being unfit to drive through drink or drugs, and to driving without due care and attention and failing to control the car. It veered into the opposite carriageway and collided with others.
Dumbarton Sheriff Court heard how around 7.30pm on October 8, 2023, the 54-year-old was driving north on Kilbowie Road and shortly after hit the other vehicles in nearby Clarence Street.
The owners of the vehicles noticed Whitelaw was still in his vehicle and police were contacted.
Witnesses saw the man attempted to leave the vehicle but they stopped him.
Police arrived and noticed that he was slurring his speech, was unsteady on his feet, and didn't know the day of the week.
Sheriff William Gallacher said Whitelaw's explanation to social workers was "ludicrous".
His defence solicitor said his client had an issue with drugs up to the October incident, but had been abstinent since.
"He had not been driving for quite a few years," said the lawyer. "He moved to a new address to try to start a new life."
He admited it was "possibly not the wisest" decision to drive after so long not behind the wheel.
Sheriff Gallacher interjected: "He didn't even know what day of the week it was."
The defence solicitor added his client know the potential of what could have happened.
"He recognises this is a very serious offence," he said.
The sheriff said: "The fact you put yourself behind the wheel ... you could have killed someone."
Whitelaw was put on a community payback order with supervision from social workers for the next year. He must do 100 hours of unpaid work in the community.
And he is disqualified from driving for two years.
Sheriff Gallacher added: "You should not be anywhere near a car."
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article