Drug driver from Wick has licence revoked by DVLA

A Wick man who drove with excess drugs in his system has had his licence revoked by the DVLA, the town’s sheriff court heard on Wednesday.

Stephen Taylor was banned from driving for a year by Sheriff Andrew Berry and even when the disqualification ends he won’t be able to get behind the wheel until he sits and passes a drug assessment by the vehicle licensing authority and passes the standard driving test.

The DVLA took the revokation step after the 41-year-old was caught with five times the legal limit of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. He pleaded guilty and admitted a record.

Taylor was stopped in Murchison Street, Wick, on December 9, last year, by police officers who were concerned about his vehicle's exhaust.

Officers detected a smell of cannabis and took a blood sample which revealed a reading of 10 mcg – the limit is 2 mcg.

Solicitor Fiona MacDonald confirmed the DVLA ban. She told Sheriff Berry that Taylor had been involved in a road accident some years ago which had left him with physical difficulties. The accused had also had a family bereavement to contend with. He found that the cannabis drug gave him some relief.

In addition to the driving ban, Taylor, of Cairndhuna Terrace, Wick was fined £325.