A dangerous driver who caused a double write-off in a dramatic crash on one of Forfar’s busiest roads has been fined and banned.
Lithuanian Kestutis Svanas careered past another vehicle on the town’s Queenswell Road on a wet evening in May, doing around 50 miles per hour in the 30mph zone.
The mechanic pulled back into his side of the road in his Vauxhall Vectra, but was going too fast to take the sharp left-hand bend outside the town’s Aldi store and on a slippy surface careered into a Citroen being driven by Hannah Oosterhoorn.
The 7.15pm crash led to a major emergency response, including local fire crews, and the road was closed for some time as the scene was cleared.
When police investigated the driving details of the accused, it emerged his licence had expired two months before.
Appearing before Sheriff Kevin Veal at Forfar, Svanas admitted driving dangerously and at excessive speed on the road on May 15, without a licence and without insurance.
Defence solicitor Billy Rennie said: “He did have insurance, but it was invalidated when it was found that his licence had expired some two months previously and he hadn’t realised that.
“He lives here with his partner and sends money back home to his family.
“He works as a mechanic in Dundee and there is no record, either in Lithuania or over the years he has spent here.
“It is a bad, one-off error of judgement by him and the tenor of the social work report suggests he is very remorseful about this,” added Mr Rennie.
Sheriff Veal told Svanas: “This was driving well below the standard of competence which would be expected in a built up area.”
Svanas was fined £500 and banned for a year. He must also sit an extended driving test at the conclusion of his disqualification.
