A whisky shop boss refused to let police breathalyse him after a road crash, claiming: “I’m teetotal.”
Andrew Cuthbert, who runs the popular JL Gill specialist store in Crieff, smashed his car into a wall on a remote country road after a blazing row with his wife.
Police found him sitting in the driver’s seat, slurring his words and reeking of booze.
He failed a roadside breath test, which suggested he was more than five-and-a-half times the drink-drive limit.
However, when he was arrested and taken to Dundee police station, he refused to comply with a desk reading to confirm the level of alcohol in his system.
Cuthbert, a former BMW technician, appeared at Perth Sheriff Court on Friday and pled guilty to a charge of failing to provide two specimens of breath for analysis on March 1.
It followed a crash on the A822 Crieff to Muthill Road earlier that evening.
“I’m sorry,” Cuthbert, 50, told the court. “I’ve made a real mess of my life.”
Sheriff Francis Gill told him: “The court takes this type of offence very seriously.
“This could well have resulted in more serious consequences for you and other road users.”
The shop owner was disqualified from driving for two years and fined £400.
Witness alerted police
The court heard Cuthbert, of Knowehead House, Comrie, was driving his Ford Ranger Wildtrak at around 6pm.
“He attempted to perform a U-turn in a layby, and reversed into a wall,” said fiscal depute Stewart Hamilton.
“The accident was seen by a witness who contacted police.
“Officers immediately attended and found the accused sat in the driver’s seat.
“He was revving heavily, and the wheels were spinning.”
Mr Hamilton said: “When speaking to the accused, officers could smell alcohol.
“He also appeared to be slurring his words.
“He was asked to exit the vehicle, and he appeared to be very unsteady on his feet.
“The accused walked a short distance before falling down.”
Mr Hamilton said: “He provided a positive roadside breath test with a reading of 122 micrograms.
“He was thereafter arrested and conveyed to Bell Street in Dundee.
“At just after 8pm, he refused to provide two specimens of breath. His reason for refusal was: ‘I’m teetotal.’
“He was cautioned and charged, and made no reply.”
Stress of pandemic
Solicitor Paul Ralph, defending, said: “He is an owner and proprietor of a shop, and during the pandemic – like other business owners – he suffered the stresses of his business being under strain.
“That was reflected in his private life, and he and his wife are now going through divorce proceedings.”
He said: “On the day in question, he and his wife had an argument in the shop.
“Mr Cuthbert stormed out of the shop.”
Mr Ralph said his client wasn’t thinking straight.
“His blood was boiling,” he said.
“He knows he will be disqualified as a result of this.”
Historic whisky shop
Cuthbert’s parents took over JL Gill, a traditional greengrocers in Crieff’s West High Street, more than 30 years ago.
He was just 19 and had just left a job in the car manufacturing industry when he agreed to temporarily run the store.
Over the years, the shop evolved into a specialist whisky stockist. In 2019, Cuthbert opened a replica store in Hong Kong.
Earlier that year, thieves broke into the outlet and made off with spirits worth tens of thousands of pounds.
