Suspected drink-driver on North Coast 500 at Thurso refused to give breath test

An Essex man ran into trouble while tackling the North Coast 500 and landed in court.

Edward Wickes was arrested by police in Thurso as a suspected drink-driver but refused to provide two samples of breath at Wick Police Station later.

David Barclay told Wick Sheriff Court on Tuesday that, when asked by officers why he was refusing, the 21-year-old replied: "I don't have a reason."

The fiscal put the strange response down to “panic” on the part of the accused finding himself in such a predicament on November 22.

Fiona MacDonald, who tendered a plea of guilty on behalf of Wickes, of Axial Drive, Colchester, said he was ashamed of his conduct and had since realised that his refusal was "a stupid act".

The solicitor added that disqualification would not cost him his job as a supervisor although commuting would be difficult.

Sheriff Gary Aitken said that the courts took a serious view of accused persons who refused to co-operate in such circumstances and added that Wickes' position would have been "an awful lot better" had he "simply blown into the intoximeter".

The sheriff made the point that had Wickes done so, the reading might well have been under the legal limit of 22mcg but he was now "paying the consequences".

He fined the accused, who has a previous conviction, £600 and banned him from driving for a year.

Pleas of not guilty to charges of failing to provide a roadside breath test and attempting to pervert the course of justice by running away from officers, were accepted by the fiscal.