A hapless BMW driver ended up in the dock for a high-speed Angus undertaking manoeuvre on a car containing two off-duty senior police.
Company executive Colin Graham had resigned himself to life in the slow lane of the busy A90 between Forfar and Brechin in May, but when a nearside gap opened up he hit the throttle and passed the outside lane traffic.
But the 39-year-old was unaware one car contained a chief superintendent and a chief inspector on a day off and they quickly contacted on-duty colleagues who pulled Graham over a little further down the road.
At Forfar Sheriff Court on Thursday, first offender Graham, of Bellevue Crescent, Ayr, was told by Sheriff Kevin Veal that the offence was at the upper end of the careless driving scale.
The accused had originally been charged with driving dangerously but a plea to the lesser charge was accepted by the Crown.
Depute fiscal Eilidh Robertson said the incident happened around 5.20pm and the off-duty policemen estimated Graham to be travelling well in excess of the speed limit when he carried out the move, but had no equipment fitted to their vehicle to record the exact figure.
Graham’s agent said his client had accepted the incident was “foolish in the extreme.”
“There had been two or three vehicles in the outside land for some time and he entered the inside lane because he was resigned to that continuing,” said the solicitor.
Sheriff Veal fined Graham £600 and imposed seven penalty points on his licence.