WICK SHERIFF COURT: Driver admonished after girlfriend cancelled his insurance cover

A driver who had no insurance cover got off Scot-free at Wick Sheriff Court last week.

Sheriff Mark Lindsay QC accepted that Kyle Macleod (28) had good reason to believe there was a valid policy in force and admonished him.

Fiscal David Barclay said that Macleod, who has a record of offending, was stopped by police officers in Riverside Road, Thurso, on August 19, 2020, and provided certain details indicating that while he wasn't insured in his own name, he was a named driver on his girlfriend's policy.

Solicitor George Mathers said that Macleod was adamant he was insured and had no idea that his cover had been cancelled by his girlfriend 12 days earlier.

Tendering a plea of guilty to the charge, on behalf of Macleod, who lives at Newton Cottage, Bower, Mr Mathers submitted there was a special case for not endorsing his licence.

Sheriff Lindsay agreed, and added: "Macleod honestly believed the vehicle he was driving was insured and there was a reasonable basis for that belief. Taking everything into account, I am going to admonish him."

• A previous version of this story stated that Macleod was training to become a coastguard. His solicitor George Mathers had told the court: "Macleod is training to be a coastguard and has to drive to Inverness to do his training." However, HM Coastguard has contacted the John O'Groat Journal to say that Macleod is not involved with the organisation.